


fire in your eyes

by calosanza



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, MC Is A Badass, Strong Female Characters, i would die for prince zuko, im trash ok, slow-burn kinda??, starts in the episode 'the waterbending scroll'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-07-12 08:29:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 60,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15991469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calosanza/pseuds/calosanza
Summary: She was a runaway, wanted by the Fire Nation. He was a disgrace, outcasted by his homeland. He was willing to stop at nothing to regain his honour, she was willing to wait for it.





	1. Chapter 1

Nava leaned against a wall, casually surveying the passersby. She kept a trained eye out for any unguarded pouch, remaining as nonchalant as possible. As she scanned the area, an unfamiliar face caught her eye: a pretty girl in blue being followed a bald boy in bright clothing. Behind them was another boy with an undercut; he was also dressed in blue. She watched as the trio passed, the girl briefly making eye contact with her before looking away, hugging her arms around her torso. Losing interest, Nava looked elsewhere, biting back a yawn.

Less than a minute later, a shout came the distance and Nava whipped her head around to follow the source of the noise.

"Hey, you, get back here!" a pirate yelled from their ship.

"Told you they'd come to their senses! Look like the haggling paid off!" the bald boy said proudly.

"Aang, I don't think these pirates are here to trade..." the girl said, taking him by the sleeve and taking off down the street.

The pirates followed them, rounding the corner and disappearing from view. Nava shook her head. Even she knew better than to mess with pirates.

More shouting caught her attention. Nava looked over, seeing a foul looking boy and a plump old man approaching a Fire Nation warship. She rose her eyebrow interestedly, watching the exchange.

"It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time!" the boy said heatedly to the older man.

"Quite the contrary, Prince Zuko! The only thing better than finding what you were looking for is finding something you weren't looking for... at a great bargain!"

At his words, a line of Fire Nation soldiers paraded past them, their arms towering with all sorts of items.

"You bought a sumki horn?" the boy, Prince Zuko apparently, asked in disbelief.

"For music night on the ship! Now all we need are some woodwinds..."

The older man passed Nava, coming to a stop in front of the pirate ship.

"Oh, this looks promising!" he said excitedly, scurrying up the ramp.

Prince Zuko followed him, scowling all the way.

Nava watched as another pirate, a man she knew as Sho, descended the ramp and approached her.

"You see where those three kids ran off to? The Water Tribe ones and the monk? They stole a waterbending scroll." he asked.

She shrugged.

"Maybe. My memory might be a little foggy."

Sho held out three gold pieces, looking at her expectantly.

"I can definitely find where they went." She said happily, taking the coins from him. "Give me an hour or so."

She pushed herself off the building and went in the direction the trio ran off in. They wouldn't have stuck around if they were being chased by pirates... and they took a waterbending scroll, so they'd be by the water.

When she couldn't make enough money thieving, Nava often took odd jobs around towns – the kinds that nobody else wanted to do. She'd stick around for a day or two, long enough to finish her job, and then she'd move on. She'd been in the port for about two weeks now, the shadiness of it all making her feel welcome. She had formed an understanding with the pirates, they'd get her to track people down for their merchandise and she'd get a cut of the profits in turn. She even became friends with some of them; occasionally spending weekends on the ship, drinking and gambling.

By now Nava was on the outskirts of the town. She walked along the riverbank, noticing the occasional sets of footprints that assured her she was on the right track. She kept a sharp ear out, listening for the sounds of talking and splashing.

She found them about twenty minutes out of town. She observed them for a minute or so, watching as the girl yelled at the monk for something she didn't really care about. After confirming they were the right people, and memorizing the location of their camp, took an arrow out of her quiver and carved a large X into the bark of the tree closest to the riverbank. Then she took off the way she came.

Nava made it back as the sun was beginning to set. Sho met her at the front gate and filled her in on Prince Zuko and how he was looking for the bald monk that was with the group. He led her on to the pirate ship, where the Prince and the Pirate Captain were in conversation. They both looked at Nava as she approached.

"I've found where those kids are hiding," she said. "They're about half an hour down the riverbank. Their camp is a little ways into the trees, with a pond and a small waterfall."

The Captain looked at Prince Zuko expectantly.

"Let's set sail then, shall we? Nava, you go with the boy on to his ship, so you can navigate, and we'll follow behind."

Nava nodded, and the Prince scoffed.

"I don't need directions from a petty thief," he said dismissively.

"Show our guide some respect, Prince Zuko," the old man said. "She has saved us a lot of time by finding our targets for us," he turned to Nava, bowing deeply. "Please excuse my nephew, he has had a long day."

Nava gave a tight-lipped smile, and at that, Zuko led them off the pirate ship and on to the cutter craft, where they set sail a few minutes later.

////

The moon was high in the sky by the time they came to the spot Nava had indicated. As silently as possible, they docked the ships and exited the ship, a few of the pirates sneaking into the trees while Prince Zuko, the older man whom Nava learned to be his Uncle Iroh, and the Captain moved silently along the riverbank, being led by Nava.

She stopped them when she heard the girl speak,

"Okay, Katara, shift your weight though the stances..."

There was the sound of water splashing and Katara swore.

"Now!" the Captain called, and a large man came from the bush, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"No, let go of me!" Katara said and bent a water whip, which smacked the pirate in the face.

He released her, and she turned to run, but Zuko was there, holding her wrists.

"I'll save you from the pirates," he hissed. He nodded to the Captain. "Take that rope and tie her to that tree. She'll know where the monk and the scroll are."

A few minutes later, the girl was bound to a large tree, her hands tied behind the trunk. Nava stood off to the side as they worked, and Katara noticed her when they stepped back.

"You're that girl from the port! You didn't look like a pirate when I saw you."

"I'm not," Nava said shortly. "They offered me money to find you and find you I did."

Katara glared at her, about to say more, but Zuko cut her off, circling the tree.

"Tell me where he is, and I won't hurt you or your brother,"

"Go jump in the river!" Katara spat.

"Try to understand; I need to restore something I've lost: my honour. Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost..."

He produced a blue necklace and dangled it in front of her face.

"My mother's necklace! How did you get that?"

"I didn't steal it like you stole that scroll, that's for sure. Tell me where he is, and you can have it back."

"No!"

"Enough of this necklace garbage," the Captain interjected. "You promised me the scroll!"

Zuko turned towards the pirates, pulling the scroll from his back pocket. He held it out with one hand and produced a flame beneath it with the other.

"I wonder how much money this is worth?"

Nava winced at the sparks that flew up around the paper, hearing the Captain cry out in fear.

"A lot, apparently," Prince Zuko went on. "Now you help me find what I want, and you'll get this back. Then everyone goes home happy. Take the archer and find the boy, then meet back here."

Nava started at the mention of her, but she led a handful of the larger pirates into the woods, stopping just outside of the clearing with the waterfall.

"There," she whispered, pointing to two sleeping forms by a large bison.

The pirates didn't hesitate as they acted, using netting to capture the monk and the Water Tribe boy. One of them even caught what looked like a flying lemur in a sack.

"We've got them, let's go."

When they got back to the riverbank, the bald boy was taken to stand in front of Zuko, who was holding the scroll.

"Give me the boy," he said.

"Give us the scroll," the Captain countered.

The Water Tribe boy piped up from his spot beside Katara.

"You guys are really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?"

"Don't listen to him, he's trying to turn us against each other!" Zuko said quickly.

The Captain looked at Aang in interest.

"Your friend... is the Avatar?"

Nava's eyebrows rose. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, watching the exchange with growing interest.

"Shut your mouth, you filthy Water Tribe peasant," Zuko spat.

"Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth..." the Avatar warned.

"I'm just saying! Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar! You all would be set for life!"

The Captain waved Zuko off.

"Keep the scroll, we can buy hundreds with the reward we'll get for the kid."

Zuko's face contorted into rage.

"You'll regret breaking a deal with me!" he roared.

He unleashed fire towards the ground, forcing the pirates to jump out of the way. That unleashed chaos. The area was quickly turned into a fighting arena as the two groups beat up on each other. There were cries, shouts, and the occasional 'I'm on your side!' being thrown about, and eventually, Nava watched the Avatar and his friends take off towards the pirate ship. She watched as they waterbent the ship off the shore and piled on and shook her head.

Meanwhile, Iroh broke the fight between Prince Zuko and the Captain, pointing into the distance where the pirate ship was quickly becoming a spec in the distance.

"Are you so busy fighting that you cannot see your own ship has set sail?"

"We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!" Zuko said impatiently.

"It's no proverb, look!"

"Bleeding hog-monkeys!" the Captain gasped, taking off towards Zuko's boat. His men followed him, and they piled on, shoving off into the water.

Iroh tapped Zuko on the shoulder and pointed to the pirates that were passing them.

"Hey that's my boat!" the boy shouted, running along the bank after them. "Come on, Uncle!"

Nava followed them, curious to see how everything would play out. She watched the whole scene unfold from a ways back, deciding not to run after the Prince and choosing to walk instead. She watched the boats fall over the waterfall, and the Avatar taking off into the sky on the bison from earlier.

"My boat!" Zuko was saying as she approached.

"Prince Zuko... you're really going to get a kick out of this..." Iroh said breathlessly, pulling what looked like a pai sho tile from his sleeve. "The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!"

Without a word, the Prince snatched the piece from his uncle and threw it off the cliff, where it landed in the water below.

He turned to Nava.

"What are you still doing here?"

Nava shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Since you've sent my only steady source of income over a waterfall, I'm kind of at a loss of what to do."

"What are you, anyway? A mercenary?"

"You can say that. I like to think of myself as a sharpshooter as well."

"Those bows are very similar to the ones the Yuyan archers use. Where did you find such a well-crafted replica?" Iroh said, examining the bow strapped to Nava's back.

"It's not a replica, it's my bow."

"You are a Yuyan archer?"

"Not officially. I ran away before I could get my tattoo."

Iroh looked at Zuko in interest.

"Nephew, I think it is in your best interest to ask this young lady to join us on your quest. Her sharp eye could aid you in finding the Avatar."

"She's a thief! A petty knife-for-hire who – "

"I'm right here," Nava interrupted, jabbing a finger at him. "I may be a thief, but I've got elite military training and the ability to pin your finger to a tree from miles away. You also forget I tracked the Avatar from town to their camp and got you there in good time!"

Zuko scowled. He knew she was right, but he was never going to admit it.

"Whatever. If you try to rob me or my men, I will see to it that you get the harshest punishment possible," he grumbled, turning on his heel and stomping away.

Nava looked at Iroh in vague confusion. The older man merely shrugged.

"That means yes," he said, trailing after his nephew.

Nava looked over the cliff at the pirates who were still dragging themselves out of the water.

"I will not wait for you!" Zuko called from up ahead.

She followed the moody prince and his uncle, groaning inwardly. What did she just get herself into?


	2. Chapter 2

The following weeks onboard Zuko's ship were uneventful. Nava spent a lot of time perched on top of the control room, gazing out into the endless ocean. There wasn't a lot for her to do, besides occasionally sparring with Zuko. She was relatively average in hand-to-hand combat, but Iroh said Zuko needed to brush up on it, so they fought often, and then Nava would join Iroh for tea and a game of pai sho. The two became quite good friends within the short period of time they were together; Iroh would tell tales of his days as the Fire Nation General and Nava would recall her days in Yuyan training – the gruelling exercises, the disgusting food, the heartless trainers. 

One particularly humid afternoon, Nava was sitting on the railings of the ship, looking out into the distance, trying to figure out when sky became water and water became sky. There was not a single cloud in sight, and the sun beat down mercilessly on Nava's back.

"There is a storm coming." Iroh said from beside Zuko. "A big one."

"You're out of your mind, Uncle. There's not a cloud in sight!"

"The storm is coming from the north," Iroh went on as though his nephew hadn't spoken. "I suggest we adjust our course accordingly and head southwest."

"The Avatar is northbound, and so are we."

"Prince Zuko, you must consider the safety of the crew –"

"The crew doesn't matter!" Zuko snapped. "We will continue north until we catch up with the Avatar, no exceptions."

He turned and spotted one of the crewmates watching him in distaste.

"The Avatar is worth more than any crewman's safety," he said icily, brushing past his men.

He caught Nava's eye as he went and promptly looked away. Her eyes were deep brown, quizzical and calculating. He always felt like she was looking into his soul, discovering his deepest secrets and fears with a single glance. It unnerved him.   
For having been raised as a Yuyan archer, Nava didn't look Fire Nation. Her features weren't sharp and narrow like other Fire Nation citizens. She had a roundish face and dark brown hair that she kept out of her face with an old, red bandana. Her skin was brown, a little darker than sun-kissed. She had the attitude of an Earthbender, but the poise and precision of a Firebender. She rarely spoke and emoted even less. She did what she was told when she was told to do it, so he should have been grateful, but he wasn't, and he couldn't really tell why. 

Almost an hour later, Zuko was back on the deck, staring out into the horizon and at the dark storm clouds they were trudging towards.

"Looks like your uncle was right," his Lieutenant said smugly. 

Nava looked up from her seat on a barrel, where she was replacing the string on her bow. She watched Zuko's face darken as he turned towards his crewman.

"Lieutenant, you'd better learn some respect," he prodded the man's chest plate with two fingers. "Or I will teach it to you."

The Lieutenant scoffed.

"And what do you know about respect? You talk to everyone around here like they haven't spent years away from their families to join you on a wild goose chase that has turned into a game of tag. You don't care about anyone but yourself! But what else should I expect from a spoiled prince?"

Zuko's scowl deepened with every word, but he didn't say anything, he merely got himself into a firebending stance.

Tightening the string with her teeth, Nava hopped off the barrel and approached the two firebenders. They ignored her presence, their hands crossing at the wrist and smoke from plumed where they met. Nava moved without thinking, shoving Zuko's wrist away while Iroh intervened and shoved the Lieutenant's away.

"Enough! We are all a bit tired from being at sea so long. I'm sure after something to eat, we all will feel better." Iroh said.

Zuko and the Lieutenant glared at each other for a moment longer before the former turned towards Nava. 

"Keep your nose out of my business. And do not touch me again."

Biting back a remark, Nava stepped away from him and bowed her head slightly.

"My apologies, Prince Zuko," she said. 

Without another word, the Prince walked to the bow of the ship and stared up at the rain clouds, which were looming ever closer.

As raindrops started to fall and the wind picked up, the crew took to the sheltered part of the ship. Nava stayed on deck, a cloak pulled over her clothes. She listened to the storm as it escalated, so mesmerized by the patter of rain and the claps of thunder, that she didn't notice Zuko approaching her until he was beside her.

"You should get somewhere dry, I don't want to have you infecting the rest of the crew with the cold you'll get," he said.

"I didn't realize you cared that much," Nava said softly, her retort barely heard over the wind and rain.

"You're of no use to me bedridden, so get inside."

Sighing, Nava turned and made her way into the ship's tower, down a set of stairs, and down a short hallway to a door on the left. The room inside wasn't very big. There was enough room for a bed, a trunk, and a small desk with a stool. It was pretty much the same as when Nava arrived; she had very little possessions. Other than her bow and arrow, an extra set of clothes, and some money, there was hardly anything she could put in her quarters. Not that she minded; Nava didn't know how long she would be travelling with Zuko, so it was best to keep packed and ready for the worst at all times.

Discarding her cloak and bow, Nava sprawled out on the bed and allowed the rhythm of the rain lull her to sleep.

////

She was awoken by a loud crashing noise and the feeling of electricity in the air. Groggily, she pushed herself out of bed and out into the hallway. A sudden rocking of the ship sent Nava into the wall, where she narrowly missed hitting her head. She clawed her way up the stairs and onto the main deck, suddenly very awake. Zuko, Iroh, and the Lieutenant were already outside when she arrived.

"Where were we hit?" Zuko yelled over the wind.

Nava looked at the sky, startled to see a man hanging from some of the rigging.

"Up there!" she said.

"The helmsmen!"

Zuko and the Lieutenant started to climb the ladder while Nava approached Iroh, hanging onto the ship's railing for dear life. A strike of lightning flared above the ship, and before anyone could react, Iroh was deflecting it towards the water.

"Are you alright?" she called to the older man, who had smoke coming from his fingers and a confused expression on his face.

"I'm fine!" Iroh said.

Their attention was captured by someone yelling, and they looked up in time to see the helmsmen falling towards the deck. Before he could get too far, Zuko caught him by the arm, and the Lieutenant helped him onto the ladder, where they made their way back down. Nava and Zuko made eye contact, and she went towards him.

"Take him to the infirmary to treat any injuries," the Prince said when she stopped. 

Nava nodded, taking the helmsmen by the arm and back into the tower. 

When she returned, she noticed that the ship was turning towards the west.

"Where are we going?" she asked Iroh.

"To the eye of the storm. Prince Zuko has ordered we get the ship to safety."

They reached the eye in less than half an hour. The wind was all but gone and the sheets of rained had calmed to a light drizzle. Nava stood a bit away from Iroh and Zuko, staring up into the clouds at the blue sky through the eye.

"I'm sorry, Uncle. I shouldn't have put my needs over the crew's safety."

"Your apology is accepted, Prince Zuko," Iroh said, patting his shoulder.

The moment was cut short by something shooting out of the water, near the bow of the ship, and up into the sky. Nava recognized the bison from a few weeks ago, along with the kids riding on its back.

"The Avatar," she heard Zuko say.

"What should we do, sir?" came the Lieutenant's voice.

The bison flew up into the space in the clouds and eventually disappeared from view.

"Nothing," the Prince said. "We need to focus on keeping everyone safe for now."

"O-of course, sir."

Nava turned around, finally beginning to feel the wetness of her clothes seeping into her bones, making her shake. She glanced at Zuko as she passed, and he looked at her, a silent affirmation of their wellness.

That evening, Nava lounged in a warm bathtub, a cup of tea on a small table beside her, and songs of her Earth Kingdom homeland playing in her mind.


	3. Chatper 3

In the days following the storm, Zuko's relationship with his crewmen got exponentially better. There were no arguments over petty things and everything was just generally going smoother.

Nava was atop her usual perch when she could see something approaching them. It looked like a ship, and a large one at that. She could narrowly make out a Fire Nation flag on top of one of the smokestacks.

"There's a Fire Nation ship approaching," she called down to Zuko, pointing into the distance.

The Prince looked into his telescope at the oncoming ship and signalled to the helmsman.

"Slow down!" he called, then turned to Nava. "Draw your bow and keep an eye out for any funny business on the other ship. Do not fire unless I give you the command."

Nava moved onto her stomach, hanging her arms over the edge of the hull and loaded her bow. She eyed the ship as it came to a stop beside them and lowered its boarding plank. She could see men moving around on the ship, none of them looked like they were looking for a fight. A man dressed in regal-looking clothes crossed the platform and came to a stop in front of Zuko. Nava could see a scroll of parchment in his hands.

"The search for the Avatar has been given the upmost importance," the man announced, unrolling the scroll and revealing a wanted poster. "Any and all information regarding his whereabouts must be reported to Admiral Zhao."

At the Admiral's name, Nava's blood went cold.

 

_She had only met Zhao once, back was he was still a captain. She was fourteen, plotting her first escape from the Yuyan camp and her advisors had announced that some of the captains and generals from the army would be making an appearance to scout for future prospects for their infantries. They would be throwing a banquet in which the students would show off their sharpshooting skills with a series of drills and routines. It was then that Nava decided she would escape._

_She slipped away right before they were set to perform, ducking into a supply closet, where she would feverishly wipe off the red face paint across her eyes – trainees painted their faces before they were awarded their tattoos after graduating. She waited until the hallway was empty and then she made her way to her bunk. She grabbed her bag and was outside in minutes. Before she could get out of the grounds, someone spotted her and called out._

_Nava had no choice but to stop. The person had seen her face and they'd drawn attention. She turned towards the person, expecting to see one of her superiors, but was surprised to see someone completely different standing there. He was a middle-aged man with greying hair and a severe look in his eye. He was walking towards Nava._

_"Shouldn't you be on your way to the banquet?" he asked her._

_"I've been sent on a mission for medicine, some of the other trainees have fallen ill." Nava said quickly, ducking her head._

_"Ah, I see. Perhaps you and I should go and see your advisor for confirmation? Not that I don't believe you, but I would assume that your infirmary has the necessary supplies."_

_"They don't, which is why I'm going to get some."_

_"I don't quite like your tone, girl. You better come with me willingly or will I have to alarm someone?"_

_Knowing she'd been beat, Nava dropped her shoulders and followed the man back towards the building, and towards the headmaster's office._

_She got the punishment of a lifetime that evening, with Zhao delivering the first blow, as per the his request. Nava still had the scar between her shoulder blades where he had hit her with his firebending. Afterwards each of her fingers were broken to discourage anymore acts of rebellion. Three years later, she still hated him for what he did._

 

"I have nothing to report to Zhao." Zuko was saying. "Now get off my ship and let us pass."

"Admiral Zhao is not allowing ships in or out of this area," the man said.

"I said off my ship!" the Prince snapped.

It was when the ship sailed away that Nava descended from her post. She was about to go to her quarters when Zuko stopped her.

"Get into your sparring clothes and come back here," he said. "Bring your knives."

Nava nodded and went to her room, changing quickly into a sleeveless dark green top and brown trousers. She grabbed her knife holsters – two daggers she lifted from some Earth Kingdom soldiers about a year ago – and tightened the bandana around her head.

Zuko was waiting for her when she returned. They spent a few minutes warming up before getting into a ready stance.

Zuko moved first, advancing on Nava quickly and aiming a jab at her chest. She sidestepped and swept her leg under his. He jumped over it and she got onto her hands, kicking her legs at him before getting back on her feet and laying down a barrage of punches. Zuko blocked all of them with his forearms, searching frantically for an opening to strike back. Once he backed into the railing of the ship, he bent backwards, falling for a second before gripping the bar and using his leg-power to vault himself over Nava's head and landing a few feet behind her.

They went on like that for a while, before eventually declaring a stalemate. Nava fell on to her back, breathing heavily and relishing in the evening coolness that was setting in. A shadow fell over her face and she opened her eyes to see Zuko standing over her, his hand extended.

She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He held out a cup of water and she downed it in seconds.

"You were a lot more aggressive this time around," Nava said lightly. "Is it because of Zhao?"

"With the resources he has, it's only a matter of time before he captures the Avatar." Zuko said sourly. He turned away from her, looking out into the sea. "My honour, my throne, my country... I'm about to lose them all."

"Zhao is a man that won't stop until he's got what he wants. He's ruthless, cruel, and a poor excuse for a human. But he makes mistakes, like all people do. We need to infiltrate his defences and exploit his weaknesses."

The Prince looked over his shoulder at her.

"How do you suggest we do that?"

"He must be in the area if he's not letting any ships through. We should dock, and I can gather some intel and you can seek him out."

He turned back to face her completely, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"No one can know it's me that's trying to undermine him. I'll need a disguise," he called up to the helmsmen. "Dock at the nearest Earth Kingdom port, we are going to make a stop for the night!"

"Once we dock, I'll slip away and see what I can find out. Zhao's a prideful man, he won't miss an opportunity to boast about his successes. It shouldn't be too hard to find him."

"How do you know all this?"

"Zhao was the one who caught me when I first tried to escape the Yuyan training camp. He manipulated my superior into breaking my fingers, so I wouldn't be able to use my bow for months afterwards."

Nava held up her hands for Zuko to see. Her fingers were crooked in some spots, and a few of them couldn't even extend all the way. "They never healed right," she made them into fists. "I want to break Zhao's bones the same way my fingers were broken."

////

Once they docked in a port, Nava snuck off while everyone was eating dinner. She was back in her regular clothes, a light green shirt with a cheongsam-style collar and sleeves, brown trousers, brown slip-on shoes and a black cloak.

She had the hood up, blocking most of her face from view. She'd left her bow behind and only brought her knives along. The civilians of the town paid her no mind as she wandered around, looking for any sign of Fire Nation soldiers.

She found them in a pub in the middle of the shopping district. She lounged outside one of the windows and listened as they spoke.

"Jin-Sae said that Zhao has caught the Avatar earlier this afternoon and they're on their way back now," one solider said.

"So, they'd be back at the outpost by now, then?"

"Probably, unless the kid gave them a run for their money. And laid some serious Avatar smackdown."

Nava gave a small smile and stalked away, taking care to stop at a food stand on her way back to the ship.

"So, how's the Fire Nation occupation going?" she asked the vendor casually while her food cooked.

The man shrugged.

"They don't do much besides drink at the pub. Most of them live in an outpost a few miles north of town and only come in when they need something. It's quite high-security there; they recently got a bunch of archers to guard the walls. What do you reckon they've got in there that requires so much manpower?"

"Something big, probably. The Fire Nation doesn't spend taxpayer money on just anything – it's gotta be worth something to them otherwise they'd let it rot."

"You said it, lady. Here's your food."

She took the bowl of noodles with a nod and, handing him the payment, left.

Nava arrived back at the ship a few minutes later, having ate the noodles on the way back. She discarded the empty bowl and made her way to Zuko's quarters. She knocked lightly on the door and waited a moment before Zuko responded. She stepped into the room, which was dimly lit with a few candles. Zuko was sitting at a table, back straight as a board and the candles shrank and grew with his breathing.

"Did you find out anything?"

"I heard from some soldiers that Zhao might have the Avatar. He's at an outpost a few miles out. It's a highly-guarded place, they recently hired a bunch of Yuyan agents to guard it."

The candles went out as Zuko exhaled and he stood up, turning to face Nava.

"Thank you. I'll go later tonight, don't tell my uncle."

Nava nodded and turned to leave, but stopped and looked back at him.

"Be careful, Prince Zuko," she said quietly.

She went to the mess hall to grab something to drink and then made her way to the main deck, where she sat with her legs hanging over the edge and watched the sun set.

Zuko didn't return until the next morning. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked positively miserable.

"Prince Zuko?" Iroh said as he passed. "Where did you go? You missed music night! Lieutenant Jee sang a stirring love song."

The Prince waved him off.

"I'm going to bed. No disturbances."


	4. Chapter 4

Following the incident with June the bounty hunter and her shirshu – an adventure that Nava had unfortunately missed – Zuko and his crew had gone quite a ways north. Nava was sitting on deck with the other men, minus Zuko, enjoying the music night Iroh had insisted on.

Lieutenant Jee was playing some sort of stringed instrument while Iroh loudly sang a ballad. Two other crew members slow-danced to the beat, their cheeks pink from drink.

Their music was interrupted by none other than Admiral Zhao and a group of masked soldiers. Nava's stomach dropped, and she surged to her feet, getting away as quickly as she could. She took the stairs up to Zuko's cabin two at a time, knocking frantically on the door. The Prince opened it, looking annoyed.

"What do you want?"

"Zhao's here," Nava said breathlessly. "I don't know why, but he's brought a crew of soldiers with him. I don't think it has anything to do with me but if he's come to see you personally, it can't be good."

Zuko was about to say more, but he stopped when he heard the unmistakable drawl of Admiral Zhao's voice followed by Iroh's hearty laugh.

"Get in here and hide behind the door," he hissed, grabbing her roughly by the wrist and pulling her into his room.

Nava stood behind the door, pressed against the wall and holding her breath. She could hear Zhao and Iroh's footsteps approaching.

"Uncle, what is it? I heard voices." Zuko said, feigning sleepiness.

"There's a bit of a problem with our plans..." Iroh said slowly.

"I'm taking your crew," Zhao cut in.

"You what?" Zuko demanded.

"I've recruited them for a little expedition to the North Pole."

"Uncle, is this true?"

"I'm afraid so. He's taking everyone," the old man said sullenly. "Even the cook!"

"Sorry you won't be there to see me capture the Avatar, but I can't have you getting in my way again."

Zuko made a noise of frustration, moving to tackle Zhao, but his uncle stopped him. Nonplussed, Zhao stepped around the boy and entered the room. He walked to the back wall and inspected a pair of broadswords hanging on some hooks. From her vantage point, Nava could see his face contort in rage and she closed her eyes, praying that he wouldn't spot her.

"I didn't know you used broadswords, Prince Zuko," the Admiral said evenly. He took one of the swords off the wall and inspected it.

"I'm not. They're antiques – just decorative," Zuko answered.

"General Iroh, have you heard of the Blue Spirit?" Zhao went on.

"Only rumours. I don't believe he is real."

"Oh, he's real alright. He's a criminal and an enemy to the Fire Nation," he put the sword back onto its holster, walking towards the doorway and stopping a few inches in front of Zuko. "But I have a feeling justice will catch up with him soon. General Iroh, the offer to join my mission still stands if you change your mind."

With that, Iroh escorted Zhao back down the hallway and onto the main deck. Once they were gone, Zuko slammed his door and swore under his breath.

"Those traitors," he hissed.

Nava stepped away from the wall and Zuko looked at her, like he'd forgotten she was there.

"You need to follow him," he said suddenly. "Find out what he's planning so we can put a stop to it. I will not let him capture the Avatar."

Nava tiredly ran a hand over her face.

"I wasn't trained to be a spy, Prince Zuko," she said. "I'm an archer, nothing more."

"Please, Nava. If Zhao gets to the Avatar before I do, there's no telling what he'll do with the power he'll be granted."

She sighed, shaking her head.

"Fine, but if I get arrested while doing this I'm going to break out and feed you to the rhinos."

A ghost of a smile crossed Zuko's features and he nodded once, giving Nava the go-ahead to leave.

She hurried back to her quarters to get changed. She got into all black clothes – old ones for when she did high-risk missions back in her thieving days – and fished out a black scarf and face mask from the bottom of her bag. She took the bandana from her hair, folded it, and neatly set it on her trunk. She combed her hair out of her eyes, the strands curling out near the bottom. Against her better judgement, Nava left her bow and arrow, deciding to bring only her daggers for protection. Giving herself a once-over in the small mirror beside her bed, she left her cabin and snuck off the ship.

She could just make out the firelight of Zhao's entourage in the distance. With a final glance back towards the ship, Nava took a deep breath and followed them into the night.

///

Nava followed them to a Fire Navy port a few miles from Zuko's ship. She scaled one of the larger ones, narrowly avoiding being seen, and climbed the ship's tower to where Zhao's office was located. She peered in the window, half hidden by shadows, and nearly lost her grip when she saw who Zhao was speaking to.

The Pirate Captain and his crew all sat around the desk, inspecting a chest of gold.

"You all seem highly qualified for the mission I have in mind." Zhao said smugly.

The Captain shut the lid on the chest and sat it in his lap.

"What do you need us to do?" he said.

"About 6 miles west, there's a Fire Nation ship that belongs to Prince Zuko. I believe you've crossed paths with him before?"

The pirates' faces darkened.

"That lying scoundrel stole the Avatar from us and took our most-trusted mercenary with him," one of the men whom Nava remembered to be Sho said.

Zhao rose an eyebrow.

"A mercenary, you say? There wasn't someone on board who wasn't from the army."

"She's about his age, dark brown hair, not very tall, always wear this red cloth in her hair like a headband. She used to be a Yuyan archer from what I've heard."

Nava saw a flicker of remembrance in Zhao's eyes, but he didn't address it further.

"I want you to blow up Prince Zuko's ship. Make sure there are no survivors. As for that mercenary, I want her captured alive and brought back to this ship. Do this before dawn, and any witnesses must be dealt with. Understand?"

That was all Nava needed to hear, and she got off the ship, got out of the port, and ran as fast as her legs would take her back to the ship. She nearly collided with Iroh in her haste to reach Zuko's quarters.

"Nava? Why are you in such a rush, and why are you dressed like that?" the older man asked her, his eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"I need to speak with you in Zuko's cabin," Nava said quickly. "It's urgent."

Iroh said no more, gesturing for her to lead the way.

After explaining Zhao's plan to Zuko and his uncle, Nava was left feeling more tired than she had been in weeks.

"What should we do, Uncle?" Zuko asked.

"Nothing," Iroh said simply, ignoring Nava and Zuko's sounds of protest. "We let Zhao blow up the ship and take Nava as prisoner. I will leave to go on a walk, while you and Nava wait for the pirates. Once they capture her, Nava will call out and alarm you, Zuko. Then you will explore the ship and wait for the explosion. I suggest going up to the helm and escaping from there. After I find the ship and assume you have died, I will go and join Zhao on his ship, and Zuko will follow me. Once he's at the port, he will find a soldier's uniform and get on to Zhao's boat. From there, we will go to the North Pole and break out to capture the Avatar."

"And what if I don't make it out in time?" Zuko said.

"You will, I'm sure of it." Iroh said, patting his nephew on the shoulder. "Now, both of you get some rest. We have a long night ahead of us."

///

Nava stared up at the ceiling of her cabin, listening to the shuffling of the crew as they gathered their things to leave. She had been trying to sleep for a while now, but her mind was racing with all the ways this plan could go wrong and made it impossible.

A soft knock on the door startled her from her thoughts.

"Come in," she said, sitting up.

Iroh opened the door and stepped in.

"I am on my way out for a walk, would you like to come?" he said casually.

"No thanks, I'm going to try and get some sleep, I think," Nava said.

"If you say so. I will be back later,"

With a silent nod of well-being, Iroh was gone and Nava was left to play the waiting game.

Iroh wasn't gone for more than ten minutes when Nava could hear the pitter-patter of pirate feet on the deck. She had just finished changing back into her regular clothes and tied her bandana around her head, when someone knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" she called.

"It's Zuko, I need to talk to you," one of the pirates said in a deep voice.

Nava rolled her eyes but opened the door, and she was met with someone grabbing her by the collar and restraining her hands.

"Zuko!" she cried, and her mouth was promptly covered by a large hand, muffling any further noises.

She was shoved/led onto the main deck and taken pushed over the railing, where Sho caught her and got her into a rowboat.

"Good to see you again, Nava," he said.

"You're lucky I don't have my weapons on me or I'd gut y – mmf!"

Sho yanked her bandana from her head and tied it around her mouth like a gag.

"We can't have you alerting the Prince to your whereabouts, sorry," he said, and he genuinely did look sorry, which made Nava even angrier.

A pirate with a rat face and gapped teeth leaned over the edge of the boat.

"We're about to light it up!" he hissed. "Get out of here!"

Sho began to row away from the ship, not protesting when Nava turned back to look at it. She didn't look away when it blew, the sheer force of the blast making her wince slightly, but she wasn't worried about that. She couldn't see any sign of Zuko, but whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen. She turned forward again, her head lowered in mourning.

They arrived at the Fire Naval port a little while later.

Nava was taken – none-too-gently – out of the rowboat by Fire Nation soldiers and led on to Zhao's ship. They took her below deck and to a small cell at the end of a hallway. They untied her hands and cut away her bandana, and shoved her in, locking the door behind her.

Nava rushed the door, pounding on it with her fists.

"Just wait until I break out of here," she seethed. "You'd better sleep with one eye open!"

"Shut it, traitor," the soldier said and sent a blast of fire through the small, barred window.

She jumped back, smelling burnt hair. She wasn't in there for much longer before someone opened the door. Nava, who was sitting against the far wall, looked up and bared her teeth.

Zhao stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him, and bent at the waist to get a better look at her.

"So, you did make it out, hm?" he mused. "That punishment taught you nothing? You are still loyal to a kingdom that cast you out to die, and this great nation took you in, clothed and trained you, and you still betray it for a cold and harsh life?"

"Still a better life than what I was living nonetheless," Nava said coldly. "What do you want?"

"Just to check up on a washed-up Yuyan archer. How many more times did you attempt to break out before you succeeded?"

"Just once. Eight months after the first time."

"Even with all the upped security? Surely they're not that daft."

"Maybe I'm just that good."

Zhao barked a laugh.

"How good could you be? Abandoned by your family, cast out by your home nation, you never stood a chance. Colonel Shinu saw potential in you, however, and recruited you for the Yuyan. He could have let you rot in that orphanage, I would have. No rat like you is worth the amount of trouble you caused him."

Nava didn't respond. She set her jaw and glared at him. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Imagine his surprise when he discovered you were trying to escape. He was so angry; this little urchin he rescued repaying him by deserting their adoptive nation. Imagine my glee at delivering the first blow. I'd been keeping an eye you since you were just starting, raising through the ranks and earning Shinu's favour. I wanted for so long to knock you from your pedestal, and when I noticed you ducking into that storage closet? I jumped at the chance. Unfortunate that Shinu didn't have you killed, but I guess breaking your fingers was punishment enough."

"I was fourteen," she said through gritted teeth.

"And you're a traitor now! Once a thief, forever a thief. Prison will be a good fit for you. If I'm lucky, they'll send you to the Boiling Rock. If you're lucky, you'll be executed, and you'll finally be able to see the sad excuses that were your parents – "

Nava lunged at him with a roar, catching his cheek with her nails before he grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her to the floor. Fire ignited from his fingertips and he whipped her with it, across the arm this time. She cried out, curling in on herself and shielding the part he'd hit. Zhao chuckled darkly.

"You'll rot for sure," he said before exiting the cell.

Nava listened as he walked away, his footsteps fading once he began to climb the stairs.

She sat up and inspected her wound. It wasn't as deep as the first one, but it still hurt. She ripped the bottom of her trousers and tied the cloth tightly around her arm, deciding that would be enough until she could get proper treatment.


	5. Chapter 5

They were back at sea by the next afternoon.

Nava laid on her back, counting the screws that dotted her cell for quite possibly the dozenth time. Iroh hadn't been down to see her, but she heard Zhao announcing him as his new General early that morning. She had no idea if Zuko was on board or even alive.

Her cell door swung open, startling her. A guard stepped in, carrying a tray of food.

"I'm not hungry," Nava said, turning her back to them.

"It's me," came Zuko's voice. He shut the door softly and set the tray on the floor. "What happened to your arm? Is it from the explosion?"

"No, Zhao and I had a little talk."

"Are you the one that scratched him?"

Nava nodded, smiling in spite of herself.

"Uncle said he told him it was from one of the rhinos." Zuko paused. "We're going to be at the North Pole in a few days, so just hold on until then."

"Thank you, Prince Zuko," she said softly.

He nodded once and left the cell.

Nava pulled the tray towards her and picked up the bowl of rice. There was no cutlery, so she was forced to scoop it out with her fingers. Once she was finished, she left the tray by the door and resumed her spot on the floor, back to counting screws.

///

The next time Zuko came around was five days later. He stood on the other side of the door, peering in through the small window.

"I'm leaving tonight," he said, periodically glancing back up the hallway. "Uncle will be down here when they're ready to attack with some winter clothes and he will get you out. I'll capture the Avatar and we'll be on our way back to the Fire Nation in no time."

Nava got to her feet and approached the door.

"You sure you can do this?" she asked.

"It's my destiny. I know I can do this,"

"Okay. Good luck, look out for yourself,"

"You too, Nava. See you and Uncle later."

With that, he was gone.

Nava wasn't alone for much longer before Iroh came with a bundle of clothes in his arms.

"There will be no guards down here before or during the invasion – Zhao wants them all to be fighting," he said. " I will be back to let you out after we dock and I will take you into the village. Zhao plans on interfering with the moon spirit to render the waterbenders defenceless, so he will be distracted."

He thrust the clothes into her arms.

"Do you really think Zuko will get to the Avatar?" Nava asked suddenly.

"For his sake, I hope not," Iroh said simply. "I will be back soon. Get dressed."

He left after that, leaving Nava to her own devices.

She unfolded the clothes in her arms and laid them out in front of her. She was left with a coat, a pair of leggings to go under her current trousers, and a pair of black boots. Hidden in the boots were two sheathed blades, scratched and well-used upon inspection, but they were recently sharpened. Probably lifted from one of the soldiers. Smiling, Nava layered up and returned to waiting.

///

The ship came to a stop, jolting Nava from her light sleep. She stood up and stretched, and stooped to grab her knives and hide them in her boots. She waited in silence a moment longer until she heard footsteps rapidly approaching her cell. It opened a second later and Iroh was in the hallway.

"The last of the soldiers are getting off, so we must be going now,"

Nava didn't need telling twice. She sidestepped around him as he shut the cell door and locked it again. Then, he took her back onto the deck, which was deserted aside from a custodian, who seemed less than interested at General Iroh freeing an enemy of the Fire Nation.

They hurried off of the gangplank and towards the village, which was a frenzy of water and fire. They kept to the shadows as they went, narrowly avoiding whips of water and balls of fire. Once they ducked into a deserted street to catch their breath, Nava was surprised to look up and watch as the full moon turned blood red. Iroh looked up as well, his breath catching.

"Oh no," he said. "We have to get to the Spirit Oasis now."

With a newfound energy, they took off running. Iroh stopped in front of a small wooden door, opening it and then ushering Nava inside. Once inside the Oasis, Nava kept close to the wall, seeing Zhao in front of a small pond, holding a sack above his head. She glanced at the entrance for Iroh but was surprised to see him advancing towards Zhao and his group of soldiers.

"Zhao, don't!" a familiar voice shouted. The Avatar.

"It's my destiny to destroy the Moon... and the Water Tribe." Zhao said.

"Destroying the moon won't hurt just the Water Tribe. It will hurt the whole world – including you. Everything will fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos it would unleash into the world."

Iroh spoke up from the side of the pond,

"He is right, Zhao."

Nava suddenly felt a throbbing pain in her arm; the one Zhao had hit. She went to unbutton her coat to inspect it, but stopped when her arm throbbed again. Using one hand she undid the buttons and let the coat fall to a heap at her feet. Then she gingerly undid the cloth around the wound, inhaling sharply as it peeled away from the skin. The sight was not pretty.

It looked to be infected. The skin around it was pink with pus glistening on it, and the burn itself was an angry looking red and throbbing with every breath she took. Her attention was deflected from her wound when she heard Zhao cry out. She looked up in time to see the Moon disappear from existence, thrusting the world into darkness.

Fire illuminated as Iroh attacked the Admiral, his face darkened in rage; an emotion Nava had never seen before. She grabbed the dagger from her boot with her uninjured hand and threw herself into the chaos, cutting soldiers left and right, not caring if her jabs were lethal or not. She could just make out Zhao disappearing from view, and once he was gone, Iroh took down the remaining soldiers. Iroh, along with the Avatar, Katara, Sokka, and a pretty girl with white hair, all stared down at the pond in disbelief. Iroh knelt and picked up an unmoving white fish, holding it to his body.

Nava looked down as well, stumbling over the Fire Nation soldiers and kneeling in front of the pool of water, a few feet from the others. A black fish swam frantically around, seemingly lost.

"There is no hope now. It's all over," the white-haired girl said tearfully.

Aang got to his feet, his eyes and the markings on his body glowing white.

"No, it's not over," he said in a voice that wasn't his own.

He stepped into the pond and walked to the middle, his fingers interlocked in some sort of prayer. The black fish darted around him. Aang stared down at the fish and everyone watched in awe as its spine began to glow the same white and the Avatar fell deeper into the pond, out of sight.

Soon, the water surrounding them turned a vivid blue with lines of white in it. The glow didn't seem to stop in the Oasis, Nava could feel the spiritual energy as the entire North Pole was encompassed with the light. The water moved in one fluid motion away from them, forming a giant fish-like creature with Aang at its heart, and left the Oasis.

Once Aang was gone and they were left in the dark, Iroh knelt and placed the white fish into the pond. Nava could see the gash on its body and it seemed to make her wound throb in response.

"It's too late," Katara said finally. "It's dead."

"You have been touched by the Moon Spirit," Iroh said scooping the fish back into his arms and looking at the white-haired girl. "Some of its life is in you!"

The girl looked up at the sky, where the moon should have been.

"Yes, you're right. It gave me life... maybe I can give it back."

She stood up and stepped to the edge of the pond.

"Yue, no, you don't have to do that," Sokka exclaimed, grasping her hand.

"It's my duty, Sokka," Yue said, her eyes cast down to the water.

"I – I won't let you! Your father told me to protect you!"

"I have to do this,"

She turned to Iroh and rested her hands on the Moon Spirit, which started to glow. She fell to her knees a moment later, and Sokka caught her. Nava heard as she took her last breath.

"No, no, no..." Sokka muttered, placing his hand on her cheek. He shook his head and hugged her to him. "She's gone..."

They were given a moment of silence before the Spirit began to glow white, and in return, Yue's body disappeared. Iroh dropped the fish back into the water and watched as it started to swim around. The pond glowed white and a ghostly image appeared over top of it.

Yue looked down at Sokka, now in a white dress with her hair flowing freely around her.

"Goodbye, Sokka. I will always be with you," she said in an otherwordly voice. She reached down and took his face in her hands, kissing him sweetly before fading away. As she did, the moon reappeared in the sky, shining brighter than ever.

Now Iroh turned his attention to Nava, who was beginning to feel sick. He rushed over to her, inspecting the gash on her arm.

"How did this happen?" he demanded.

"Zhao can't control his temper," Nava said, hissing when he jostled her arm.

He turned to Katara, who was staring at Nava in distaste.

"Please, heal her arm. We don't have the supplies to treat it right now," he said.

Katara hesitated.

"You were the one who sold my friends and I out to Zuko and those pirates," she said. "And now you seem to be travelling with him."

"The pirates hired me first, to find the scroll you'd taken, that was my only mission. I had no idea you were travelling with the Avatar." Nava said. "After that whole fiasco, it was Iroh here who offered to let me join them. I'm just a servant on their ship. Zuko had nothing to do with it, I swear."

The waterbender looked to her brother, who shrugged. She turned back to Nava and Iroh.

"Fine. But next time we cross paths, and I know we will, you owe me."

Katara approached Nava and bent some water from the pond over her arm. It glowed light blue and then went back to its regular colour. Katara let the water drop a second later. Nava inspected her arm, seeing no trace that the burn had been there to begin with. She looked up at Katara with a smile.

"Thank you so much," she said sincerely. "I'll do what I can to repay you, I swear."

"Whatever. You'd better leave before Zuko comes back and tries to kill us again."

With that, Iroh helped Nava to her feet, retrieved her discarded coat, and exited the Spirit Oasis.

They made it to the shore where Zuko was waiting. His face was covered in small cuts and his eye was bruised, but he looked better than Nava thought he would. Using some scrap metal from the destroyed Fire Nation ships, they constructed a makeshift raft and set off into the ocean.

"I'm surprised at you, Prince Zuko," Iroh said as he fiddled with the sails. "You are not trying to capture the Avatar at this very moment."

Zuko stared out at the wreckage of the ships. He looked over at Nava, who was running her hand across the waters' surface beside the raft.

"I'm tired," he said.

Iroh released the sail and put a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"Then you should rest. A man needs his rest," he turned to Nava. "You too. It's been a long couple of days for you as well."

Zuko sprawled out on one side of the raft while Nava laid down with her head adjacent to his.

She let the steady rocking of the boat lull her to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

They sailed on the raft for nearly a month following the North Pole invasion. The further south they went, the warmer the air got. In those weeks, Nava found her tolerance for Zuko and his angst going up. They still bickered and were seemingly always at each other's throats, but it could be said that a reluctant friendship was forming.

They stuck close to the Earth Kingdom mainland, eventually coming to an unguarded dock. Nava didn't bother waiting for Zuko and Iroh as she ventured into the trees. She was just grateful to be back on solid ground. As she made her way up a steep hill, she noticed the trees were slowly beginning to turn into flowering cherry blossoms. By the time she got to the top, Nava was feeling rather lightheaded; none of them had eaten or drank anything substantial since leaving the North Pole. It was a wonder they were still able to walk.

She waited under the trees for Zuko and Iroh and inspected the area around her. She'd never seen the cherry trees like this before, it was quite overwhelming. She was plucking petals from a fallen blossom when Iroh and Zuko appeared, breathing heavily.

"I saw a sign on the way up saying there is a bathhouse nearby," Iroh said. "We can rest there for a little while and plan our next move."

Nava nodded in agreement while Zuko said nothing, his arms crossed over his chest and a sour look on his face. Iroh led them through the trees and they came up to a fast-moving river with a few wooden huts on stilts in the middle. There were two bridges on either side of the huts, connecting one side to the other.

A few attendants greeted them as they entered, one of them taking Nava to a building labelled women's while Iroh and Zuko were taken to the men's building. She was given a pink robe while they took her clothes to wash them, and then she was led to the bath. Nava sank into the water, a long sigh exiting her body as she settled down. It had felt like years since she'd bathed. The water seeped into her muscles, washing away the weeks of tension and anxiety with every passing moment.

Nava got out about half an hour later, feeling refreshed and energized. She went into the locker room, finding her clothes in a neatly folded pile, cleaned. Her coat was hanging up and her boots and knives were under it, cleaned as well. She noticed a pair of slip-on shoes and slid them on after she dressed. Deciding to leave the coat and boots behind, she holstered her blades to her waist and left the hut to find Zuko and Iroh.

Nava found them in one of the open buildings. Iroh was on a massage table, clad in only his underclothes while Zuko sat by the entrance with a wide-brimmed hat on his head. Nava sat beside him, accepting a bushel of grapes and a cup of water from one of the employees.

"How was your bath?" she asked the Prince lightly.

Zuko's scowl only deepened while he ignored her.

She looked over at Iroh for an explanation, only to see him wave the masseuses away and get off the table. He tied one of the robes around himself and approached the pair.

"It's the anniversary, isn't it?" he asked his nephew.

"Three years ago today I was banished," Zuko said quietly. "I lost it all. I want it back. I want the Avatar, I want my throne, I want my honour..." he was looking at them, a fierce look in his eye. "I want my father to not think I'm worthless."

"I'm sure he doesn't! Why would he banish you if he didn't care?" Iroh said with great optimism.

Nava covered her snort with a cough and Zuko got up without a word, walking away.

"That... came out wrong, didn't it?" Iroh asked.

Nava got to her feet, patting Iroh on the shoulder.

"Yeah, it did," she said.

She went in the direction Zuko did, following him back to a small hut. It was a one-room lodging area. There were three beds along the wall with a curtain around them. One of the curtains was pulled back so she could see inside. A small stove was by the window with a tea pot resting on it. Zuko was leaning against the wall, glaring out the window into the trees. Nava lifted herself to sit on the windowsill.

"You haven't seen your father in three years?" she asked him. It was a genuine question.

"No. I spoke out of turn during a meeting and in retaliation he challenged me to an Agni Kai. He burned me and then cast me out to find the Avatar. He said if I come home with the Avatar, all is forgiven and I will have my honour back."

"He sent you on a wild goose chase, because up until a few months ago the Avatar hadn't been seen since the beginning of the war, right?"

"He wasn't reborn into the Water Tribe, so he was out there somewhere. We just didn't know where. He was underwater in an iceberg by the South Pole, hibernating all those years."

"Maybe you were destined to find him," Nava said thoughtfully. "But I don't think it's your destiny to capture him and use him to win the war; that's someone else's ideal thrust onto you. I don't think it was for no reason that he came back when he did. I think you and Aang were supposed to meet, you know?"

Zuko looked at Nava for a long time. She stared out the window, eyes following the birds that circled overhead. For someone who always seemed to be distracted, she did have her moments of wisdom.

"It's my destiny to rule the Fire Nation as Firelord. I can only do that if I capture the Avatar," he said coldly. "I don't need a runaway to tell me what my life should be,"

He stomped away towards one of the beds, crawling onto it and shutting the curtain with a snap.

///

Iroh and Zuko were gone by the time Nava awoke the next morning. At first, she panicked, thinking that they had left her behind. She was quickly proven wrong when she spotted one of their bags resting by the front entrance. Nava poured herself a cup of tea and sipped on it as she explored the resort. The late-morning sun was already beating down on her back, an indication of the weather that was to come. She stood by the river for a while, mesmerized by the rushing water. She could make out fish darting around beneath the current and she wished she had something to feed them.

"Good morning, Nava!"

Nava looked up and saw Zuko and Iroh coming towards her. Iroh had his arm risen in greeting and she returned it briefly, turning to meet them halfway.

"How did you two sleep?" she asked.

"Like a baby mooselion," Iroh said. "Definitely the best sleep I've had since we left the North Pole."

"We should head out today," Zuko said. "I don't want to stay in one place for too long in case people start recognizing us."

"Come on, Prince Zuko. We've had a long few weeks, let's take a few more days to relax and get our bearings," Iroh said.

They were back at their hut now and Iroh dumped out some shells on the table.

"Look at these magnificent shells!" he said excitedly. "I will enjoy these keepsakes for years to come."

"We can't afford to take any more useless things, Uncle," Zuko said impatiently. "You forget we have to carry everything ourselves now."

"Hello, brother. Uncle."

Nava jumped at the voice, whipping around to see an unfamiliar girl in Fire Nation garb standing by the window, her arms crossed over her chest.

Zuko stepped forward, looking angry.

"What are you doing here?"

The girl rolled her eyes and stood up.

"You know, in my country, we exchange a pleasant 'hello' before we start asking questions," she approached Zuko and stopped a few feet in front of him. "Have you become so uncivilized already, Zuzu?"

Her gaze moved from her brother to Nava.

"And you've got a new addition. It's quite rude of you not to introduce me to her."

"This is Nava. She has been travelling with us for quite sometime," Iroh said.

"Nava. What a familiar name," the girl said. She tapped her chin a few times with her fingernail. "I can't quite place where I've heard it. Anyway, my name is Azula, crown princess of the Fire Nation."

Nava bowed minutely.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your Highness."

"To what do we owe this honour?" Iroh asked.

"Both of you are so quick to get to the point," Azula drawled. "I've come with a message from home. Father's changed his mind – he's heard rumours of plans to overthrow him and family is suddenly very important to him. They're the only ones you can really trust. Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home."

Zuko stared out the window, a dazed expression on his face.

"Did you hear me, Zuko? You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news!"

"I'm sure your brother just needs a moment to -" Iroh began but Azula quickly cut him off.

"Don't interrupt, Uncle!" she snapped. She turned back to Zuko. "I still haven't heard my thank you. I am not a messenger, I didn't have to come all this way."

"Father... regrets? He wants me back?" Zuko said in quiet disbelief.

Azula sighed.

"I can see you need time to take this in. I'll come to fetch you again tomorrow. Good afternoon."

Once Azula was long gone, Zuko turned to his uncle, a smile inching its way onto his face.

"We'd better get packing," he said.

Nava leaned against the table, watching the Prince bustle around. Iroh packed as well, but at a much slower pace. Eventually Zuko noticed she wasn't moving and stopped to address her.

"Why aren't you packing?"

"I'm not going with you," she said. "I'm a fugitive to the Fire Nation, remember? Surely Azula knows that, even if she didn't say it. I'll get on that ship and will immediately be sent to the prison hold to pay for my crimes."

"What will you do? Where will you go?"

"I'll go back to wandering, probably. Maybe I'll find myself a new bow and become a mercenary."

The Prince was silent. Nava thought she caught a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

///

After a dinner of rice and roast chicken, Nava decided when she would leave.

"I'll go tomorrow at dawn," she said. "That way I'll be gone when Azula gets here and I'll be able to avoid any unwanted questions," she paused, taking a deep breath. "I want to thank you two. For the hospitality and kindness you've showed me, even if we are technically the bad guys. I don't trust a lot of people, but you are the exceptions. I think you are the first friends I've ever had."

Iroh patted her hand lightly from beside her.

"You have not been with us for long, but we are lucky you did nonetheless. These are memories I will cherish."

Nava smiled warmly and got to her feet.

"I'm going to go have a bath and then get some rest," she said, and then she left the hut.

///

Nava left before the sun rose the next morning. She had a quick breakfast of fruits and nuts, packed some water and snacks, and then was on her way. Zuko hadn't said anything to her since the afternoon previous, and she assumed he didn't want to, and she had to admit she was a little hurt. Maybe them being friends was all in her head and he didn't like her at all. Brushing off her feelings, Nava straightened her back and continued down the path.

She was dozing against a tree when she heard rapid footsteps approaching her. Her eyes snapped open and she grabbed one of her blades, ducking behind the tree and waiting for the strangers. She straightened up and sheathed her knife, however, when she recognized Zuko and Iroh bolting towards her. They stopped beside a small body of water that branched off from the main river, gasping for air.

"I thought you were going home?" Nava asked, stepping out from behind the tree.

Iroh looked over at her and shook his head.

"It was a trap. Azula only said that so we would go onto the ship willingly."

Nava looked at Zuko, whose expression was unreadable. He pulled a knife out from his bag and took the covering off. He stared at the blade a second longer before bringing it up to his hair and cutting his ponytail. Then he handed it over to Iroh, who did the same. They discarded them into the stream, watching as they floated away.

"We can't stay here," the Prince said. "We need to keep moving. We're fugitives of the Fire Nation now, we have to start over."

"I'm an expert fugitive, I can keep you alive," Nava said casually. "Let's go find some merchants to rob!"


	7. Chapter 7

They'd been on the run for just over a week, and Nava was convinced Zuko was going to lose his mind. He had stomped away while Nava was collecting berries and she distantly heard him complain that they hadn't found any food.

"I can't live like this. I wasn't meant to be a fugitive," he said angrily. "This is impossible!"

Nava snickered and stood up, Zuko's wide-brimmed had filled with berries of all sorts. She returned to the clearing just as he was leaving and set the hat beside Iroh.

"I'm going to go make sure he doesn't accidentally break his neck tripping over a root or something," she said and then went the way Zuko did.

She found him fashioning a spear out of a tree branch a minute later.

"Why don't you use one of my knives?" she suggested.

"No, I want to do this," he muttered.

Shrugging, Nava kicked off her shoes and rolled her pants up to her knees. She took off her holster and grabbed one of her blades and went into the nearby stream, finding the deepest part and standing in it. Neither of them said anything as they went about their own business.

Zuko took a break from shaping his spear to watch Nava. She had her gaze towards the water, eyebrows furrowed in concentration and her tongue poking out from between her teeth. She'd been a lot happier since they've been on the run, he noticed. He thought smiling wasn't possible for her, but the amount of times she'd smiled since they'd left the bathhouses was astounding. Maybe she was staying optimistic, so he wouldn't feel as bad. The thought was nice, but it wasn't working. He was still angry that Azula had played him like that. He was stupid to believe his father would want him home. If that's all it took, he should've been welcomed back sooner.

"I got one!" her exclamation startled him.

Zuko's vision refocused and he saw Nava holding a struggling fish by the tailfin. It had a stab wound in its abdomen, but it was putting up a fight. She glanced at him and beamed, but when she did, the fish gave one last jerk and freed itself from her hand, hitting her in the face in the process. The shock of it knocked her backwards and she went one way while the fish went another. Nava sat up abruptly, spluttering.

Zuko stared at her for a moment longer before letting out a bark of laughter.

"It's not funny!" she said shrilly. She pushed herself to her feet and got back onto the grass. "You think you can do better?"

"I know I can do better. I won't let a fish slap me in the face," Zuko responded.

"Try it then, fish are slippery little fiends,"

She rang out the hem of her shirt and pants but quickly found that she would need to do more. Making sure his back was turned, she turned around and pulled her shirt off, and then her pants. Her underclothes were wet too but she wasn't about to walk around naked. Nava found a low-hanging branch and threw her shirt and pants over them.

Zuko glanced up from his search and over at Nava, who had just hung her clothes up to dry. His eyes wandered to the bright pink scar between her shoulder blades. It stretched down her back and ended just above her waist. The skin around the scar was bright pink and gnarled, while the scar itself was a darker pink. He looked away as she turned back to face him, refocusing on the task at hand.

He never expected her to be so... muscular. He didn't think archery required such upper body strength, but the muscles along her back said otherwise. Giving his head a small shake, Zuko reprimanded himself. He had better things to worry about than a girl's muscles.

///

A few hours and zero caught fish later, Zuko gave up. He trudged to where Nava was lounging in her newly-dried clothes and sat beside her.

"No luck?" she asked him.

He shook his head, a frown crossing his features.

"Well, let's go declare our failure to your uncle," she said, standing up.

He got up too and they trekked back through the trees to the clearing where they'd left Iroh.

"We couldn't find any food," Zuko said. "Uncle, what are you doing?"

"You remember that plant I said might be tea?"

"You didn't," Zuko said in disbelief.

"I did, and it wasn't." Iroh turned, revealing his swollen and patchy face. He scratched at his neck. "Soon the rash will spread to my throat and I will stop breathing... but, I found these berries. They are bacui berries, which cure the rash of the white jade! Or they are macahoni berries, which cause blindness."

"We are not staking anymore chances with these plants," Zuko said, stomping over to his uncle. "Come on, we're going to find help."

They left the woods and travelled down an open road, eventually coming across a small wooden house. Zuko and Nava exchanged looks.

"We can't afford to be picky," she said, slapping away Iroh's hand from his body.

Zuko went up to the hut's door and knocked a few times. It opened a moment later, a girl in a long dress standing in the doorway.

"My uncle made the white jade flower into tea, thinking it was the white dragon bush. Now he's got this rash that will kill him, can you help us?"

The girl looked at them incredulously

"Come in and sit on the examination table, I'll get some ointment."

Nava followed Iroh and Zuko inside and stood beside Zuko while Iroh sat on the table.

"You're lucky you came when you did," the girl was saying, opening a jar and slathering the ointment onto Iroh's face. "You must not be from around here, the locals know better than to touch the white jade, much less make it into tea."

"Yes, we are refugees!" Zuko said quickly. "From the eastern Earth Kingdom."

"Do these refugees have names?"

"Yes... his name is... Mushi..."

Iroh looked over the girl's shoulder with a displeased expression. Nava hid her smile behind her hand.

"I'm Lee,"

"He's named after his father, so we just call him Junior," Iroh cut in. Zuko glared daggers at his uncle. "And she is my daughter, Miyu."

"Mushi, Junior, and Miyu. My name is Song. You guys look like you could use a good meal, why don't you stay for dinner?"

"Sorry, but we need to be moving on," Zuko said.

"That's too bad, my mom always makes too much roast duck,"

Iroh visibly perked up.

"Where do you live, exactly?"

"There's a path behind here that leads straight to my house, maybe a thirty-minute walk," Song said.

"We'll be there!" Iroh exclaimed before Zuko could decline.

They waited a few hours for Iroh's rash to go away before they went to Song's house. They made good time getting there and spent a little bit chatting with Song and her mother before dinner. They sat around a square table close to the floor. Zuko beside Nava, Song and her mother across from them, and Iroh on one of the ends.

"My daughter tells me you're refugees. We were once refugees ourselves," her mother said as she set the roast duck in the middle of the table.

"When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village and took all of the men away... that was the last time I saw my father," Song said.

"I haven't seen my father in many years," Zuko said quietly.

"Oh... is he fighting in the war?"

"Something like that,"

Nava ate her dinner in silence, preferring to listen Iroh, Song, and her mother converse. Occasionally she would throw a comment in, but she didn't say much else. Zuko didn't say anything at all.

After a dessert of tea and pastries, Zuko insisted they should find somewhere to camp for the night and Iroh reluctantly agreed. Song's mother gathered up the leftover duck and put it in a package for them to take and showed them to the door.

"Thank you for having us over, your cooking is excellent!" Iroh said, bowing.

"You are very welcome," Song's mother handed over the leftovers. "It brings me joy to see someone eat my cooking with such... gusto."

The older man chuckled sheepishly, patting his stomach.

"Thank you for your generosity," Nava said, bowing curtly.

Zuko turned to leave the yard, but his uncle stopped him.

"Junior, where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people."

Zuko turned and bowed slightly.

"Thank you," he said dryly.

As they were leaving the yard, Song called out,

"I know you don't believe there isn't much hope left in the world, but there is hope! The Avatar has returned!"

From beside her, Nava felt Zuko tense.

"I know," he said through gritted teeth.

As they reached the end of the yard, Zuko stopped at a stable where two ostrich-horses were tethered. Without another thought, he untied them and led them away from the stable.

"What are you doing? These people just showed you great kindness!" Iroh hissed.

"And they're about to show us a little more," Zuko nodded to Nava. "Get on behind me, so Uncle can have his own."

Nava did as she was told, securing her arms around his waist. With a defeated sigh, Iroh got onto the second ostrich-horse and they set off. As they went, Nava looked over her shoulder and spotted Song in the doorway of her house, looking disappointed. Ignoring the pang of guilt in her stomach, Nava turned away, staring out at the darkening woods around them.

///

A few days of meaningless travelling later, Nava, Iroh, and Zuko found themselves in a small village, sitting on straw mats, begging for money. Well, it was mostly Iroh who was doing the begging; Nava was lounging beside the ostrich-horses and Zuko was sulking.

"This is humiliating!" Zuko spoke for the first time that day. "We're royalty, these people should be giving us whatever we want."

"Welcome to the lowest of the low, your Highness," Nava said, twirling a loose strand of hair around her finger. "Better get used to it."

The Prince merely scoffed.

"Don't you have anything better to do than make sarcastic remarks?"

"Don't you have anything better to do than pout and hate everything?" Nava retorted without missing a beat.

He turned to face her now, looking positively angry. Before he could respond, a large man approached them. Nava took note of the broadswords strapped to his back.

"How about some entertainment in exchange... for a gold coin?" he said, smiling cruelly.

"We're not performers," Zuko said flatly.

"Not professional, anyway!" Iroh said. He stood up, clasped his hands together and started to sing. "It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se..."

Nava and Zuko straightened up, a silent agreement between them. The man pulled out his swords, swinging them at Iroh's feet, forcing him to avoid them in a weird sort of dance. Zuko's hands balled into fists and Nava grabbed one of them, giving him a warning look.

Not here.

The swordsman laughed loudly.

"Nothing like a fat man dancing for his dinner. Here you go!" he tossed the coin at Iroh's feet and stalked off.

Iroh sat back down and set the coin in his hat.

"Such a nice man," he said lightly.

They left the village in the evening, buying some feed for the ostriches and some supplies for themselves. As Nava and Iroh set up camp in a clearing somewhere, Zuko stalked off, muttering something about dropping something on their way there. He didn't return until late that evening. Iroh was already asleep, but Nava was waiting up. She saw the swordsman's blades strapped to his back.

"You robbed that man," she said. It wasn't a question.

"Maybe I did," Zuko said curtly, putting the swords into one of the ostrich's pouches.

"Better you do it than me. Did you get anything else?"

He tossed a small sack at her and she opened it, revealing a bunch of copper and silver coins. Nava smiled appreciatively, rolling one of the coins over her knuckles.

"Your uncle will appreciate this," she said.


	8. Chapter 8

Nava, Zuko, and Iroh didn't stick around anywhere for longer than a few days. Ironically, despite their lack of home, Nava felt very at home. She educated Zuko in the ways of pickpocketing and she had to admit, they made quite a team. She struck mostly during the day, and then Zuko would go back in his Blue Spirit uniform at night and get some more difficult-to-attain items.

Nava was lounging in their cave with Iroh while Zuko went on a rare afternoon mission. He arrived later with a couple of baskets filled with food and ostrich feed.

"And where did you get these?" Iroh asked, eyeing the things sceptically.

"What does it matter where they came from?" Zuko responded. "They're here now, and that's all that matters to us."

"You look like you did some serious shopping," Iroh went on and Zuko set an expensive looking tea set in front of him. "Where did you get the money?"

"Do you like your new teapot?"

"If I'm being honest, the best tea tastes delicious whether it comes in a pot of gold or a tin cup,"

Zuko didn't answer, instead choosing to lay down a few feet away from Nava, his back to them.

"I know we've had some difficult times lately... we've had to struggle just to get by. We are fortunate to have Nava to teach us humility and honour in poverty,"

"There is no honour for me without the Avatar," Zuko muttered.

"Even if you did capture the Avatar, I'm not so sure it would solve our problems..."

"Then there is no hope at all."

Zuko sat up abruptly and got to his feet. He was about to leave the cave when Iroh stopped him.

"Zuko, you must never give in to despair. If you allow yourself to go down that road you will surrender to your lowest instincts. It is in the darkest times that you must allow yourself to hope, that is where your inner strength lies."

Prince Zuko looked back at his uncle briefly, before exiting the cave, not returning for a few more hours.

At some point, Nava opted to go out and look for him, finding his behaviour childish and frankly, unnecessary. She found him sitting beside a stream, tossing pieces of a stick into the water.

"He means well, you know," she said, coming to sit beside him. "You do learn quite a bit about yourself when you're fighting every day to survive."

"You were a thief; how much were you really fighting?"

"If I was caught I would be arrested. Some days I wasn't able to lift anything and as a result I went without. Before I taught myself how to steal, I didn't eat for days at a time. I probably almost died once or twice, and I was angry at the world for letting it happen. But eventually I stopped blaming others and remade myself into someone who was willing to do whatever it took to survive."

"How did you end up in Yuyan training anyway?"

"My parents died ten years ago when I was seven. I was in an orphanage outside of Ba Sing Se, when these Fire Nation soldiers came, looking for prospects for the military. I was one of the kids they took, but the Colonel apparently took a liking to me. He sent me to the Yuyan. He watched over me, like a father, and then when I tried to escape the first time... he was so disappointed," Nava chuckled humorlessly. "After he broke my fingers, he made sure they wouldn't heal right, and then he told me that I was going to die without him. He always had security watching me and just imagining his rage when he found out I escaped a second time... it's what kept me going for a while. I started surviving out of spite; I wasn't going to give Shinu the satisfaction of dying," she pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. "A part of me wants to return to the camp and complete my training; get my tattoos and everything, but another part wants to move on and denounce anything having to do with my past," she looked at him. "I know you're letting your past determine who you are and what you think you're destined to do, but I think you're more than what your father says you are. If that means anything."

Zuko was silent for a long time. He didn't seem like he was going to answer.

"I'm going to start dinner," Nava stood up and rested her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll make the right decision, whatever it may be."

///

Zuko returned just as Nava was serving the stew she had made.

"Uncle, I thought a lot about what you said, and Nava too."

"You did?" Iroh hummed. "Good, good."

"It's helped me realize something: we no longer have anything to gain by travelling together. I need to find my own way... Nava, you can come if you want. I understand if you don't."

Nava felt as though she had been plunged into a bucket of ice water. This was the complete opposite of what she wanted him to do! Iroh seemed to think the same thing, because he visibly slumped.

Neither of them moved as Zuko packed a bag of things. He took two of five bags of feed and some other supplies, and then left without another word. Not even a goodbye.

She ate her stew in silence, ignoring the angry tears that were threatening to spill. Iroh turned to her.

"Go with him. Keep him on his path. I will be fine by myself."

"Are you sure? Don't you think this is something he should do on his own?" Nava said.

"I am worried that if he goes off alone, he will lose sight of what is important. Please, go with him."

She nodded, hurriedly wiping her eyes.

"Thank you, Iroh. I won't let you down."

Nava grabbed an extra water flask and hurried off in the way that Zuko went. He hadn't gone very far, but he was moving quickly. She called out to him and he stopped, turning halfway to face her.

"I'm coming with you," she said breathlessly. "So you don't get yourself killed."

Zuko hesitated but eventually nodded for her to get on. She jumped on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He flicked the ostrich-horse's reins and they took off down the path.

///

Although Iroh was the mediator between Zuko and Nava when they fought, they argued significantly less when it was just them. Words were rarely exchanged between them, but they both had a silent agreement to keep moving at any cost, and only stop to sleep. They ran out of food by the fifth day, and then water by the seventh. The sun was scorching, unusually hot for the spring season.

Nava insisted she take the reins for a while, as Zuko was nearly falling off the saddle from exhaustion. His arms rested heavily on her hips, and eventually his head pressed against her back and he began to snore lightly a few minutes later.

She nudged him lightly a few hours later. He groaned in response.

"I can see a town in the distance, do you want to stop?"

She waited as he straightened up and stretched, some of his bones cracking in response.

"We need to get some more food for the ostrich. And see if we can get anything to eat or drink," he said groggily.

Nava made a clicking noise with her mouth and the ostrich sped up towards the town.

The streets were a lot busier than she'd anticipated. There were groups of Earth Kingdom soldiers, some harassing civilians, and others gambling and laughing. She pulled up beside a merchant's stall and they both got off.

Nava stayed by the ostrich while Zuko approached the merchant.

"Can we get some water, a bag of feed, and something hot to eat?" he asked.

She glanced over at the gambling soldiers, who were looking at the two of them in suspicion. She heard some laughter and searched for the source, spotting a few kids peeking around the corner of the stall at the soldiers. She turned to Zuko as he handed her a bag of feed, and she put it into one of the storage pouches on the ostrich.

"Hey!"

Nava and Zuko turned as a large soldier approached them, looking angry.

"You throwing eggs at us, stranger?'

"No," Zuko said.

"You see who did throw it?"

"No."

"The egg had to come from somewhere."

Zuko turned to face the soldier completely.

"Maybe a chicken flew over," he said calmly.

Scowling, the soldier snatched the bag of feed from Zuko's arms and tossed it over to one of his men.

"Thank you for your contribution, the army appreciates your support," he said. "You both better leave town; the penalty for staying is a lot steeper than you can afford, stranger," he tapped his war hammer hanging from his belt. "Trust me."

He turned and went back to his fellow soldiers.

"Those soldiers are supposed to protect us from the Fire Nation, but they're all just a bunch of thugs," the merchant said.

Nava hopped back onto the ostrich-horse and Zuko got on behind her. Before they set off, a bright-eyed boy popped out from behind the stall.

"Thanks for not ratting me out!" he said. "I can take you to my house and feed your ostrich horse for you."

He grabbed the reins from Nava's hands and led them in the opposite direction. He took them down a side road outside of town. They travelled for a little while and eventually a farm came into view. The animals all began to cry as they passed, and a man came out from the house.

"Are you a friend of Lee's?" he asked them.

"These guys just stood up to the soldiers!" Lee said excitedly. "By the end, they practically had them running away!"

A woman exited the house, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Do these guys have a name?"

Nava and Zuko hesitated.

"They don't have to say who they are if they don't want to, Sela," Lee's father said. "Anyone who stands up to those bully soldiers is welcome here. Those men should be ashamed to wear Earth Kingdom uniforms."

"The real soldiers are off fighting in the war, like Lee's big brother Sen Su." Sela said. "Supper is going to be ready soon, would you like to stay?"

"We can't," Zuko said. "We should be moving on."

"Gansu could use some help on the barn. Why don't you and he work on that for a while, and then we'll eat?" she went on. "Your girlfriend can come help me with preparing."

Nava and Zuko exchanged glances before getting off the ostrich. Lee took it towards a pen and Nava followed Sela into the house.

It was a quaint place. The kitchen was the largest part of the entire thing, and that wasn't saying much. There were two doors leading to what Nava assumed were the bedrooms.

"If you could finish cutting up these vegetables and then add them to that pot over there," Sela said, pointing to a large iron soup pot sitting by a fireplace. "And I'll get started on the rice."

They worked in silence for a little bit, listening to the steady banging of the hammers outside.

"So, how long have you and your boyfriend been out on the road?" Sela asked.

"Almost three weeks. We haven't decided where we're going to go yet, but we'll figure it out." Nava said.

"How long have you been together?"

"Five months."

"How did you meet?"

"I used to be a bit of a bounty hunter in my town, and he was looking for someone, one of his friends that had gotten lost while they were travelling, and he hired me to find them. After I tracked them down, his uncle asked if I wanted to come along and I accepted."

"Where's his uncle now?"

"We split up a little while ago. He's been having some troubles with doing the right thing lately and wanted to go off alone to find his own way. I went with him to make sure he wouldn't get himself arrested."

"You seem to care about him an awful lot."

Nava thought about that for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess I do," she said finally. "I want him to be the best person he can be, but I don't think he can do it without a little help."

By now she had finished cutting up the vegetables and was putting them into the pot. She and Sela exchanged small talk as the soup cooked; she told Nava about Sen Su, the Earth Kingdom soldiers, and how her husband couldn't handle the workload of the farm as well as he used to.

///

That night, Zuko and Nava laid in the barn on a pile of hay. They were a few feet apart, but with no fire or blankets to keep warm, the cold was almost unbearable. Nava was curled into a ball, trying to keep her shivering to a minimum. Eventually Zuko turned to face her.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"A little," she said quietly.

There was some shuffling and then a wall of heat pressed to her back. Instinctively she shied away, but eventually gave in to the warmth and relaxed against Zuko's front.

"My firebending helps keep me warm," he said. His mouth was very close to the nape of her neck.

"What do you think your uncle is doing?" she said after a period of silence.

"I don't know. I like to think he's found a small cottage in the woods somewhere and is living there... or he's struggling as much as we are."

"Do you regret your decision to leave?"

"...No. I think it was for the best," he paused. "I'm glad you came with me."

Nava responded by nestling closer to him, and his arm went around her waist. His forehead pressed against her shoulder and she fell into a deep slumber minutes later.

///

By the time Nava woke up the next morning, Zuko was already packed and ready to go.

"Why didn't you wake me?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"You've been awake for a while, I figured I'd let you sleep in a little," he said.

"That's... weirdly nice of you. Thanks."

"We're leaving in fifteen minutes, I'll meet you outside."

Without another word, Zuko left the barn.

Using some of the water from the canteen, she cleaned her face and fixed her hair. After picking the straw from her clothes, she followed Zuko towards the animal pens. Sela was handing Zuko a package of what Nava assumed were leftovers. As she approached, she noticed a dust cloud approaching them. Squinting, she could make out the soldiers from yesterday.

"What do you think they want?" Gansu said.

"Trouble," Zuko answered.

The soldiers came to a stop a little ways in front of them.

"What do you want, Gow?" Gansu demanded.

"Just wanted to let you know that your son's battalion got captured," he looked over to his men. "You boys hear what the Fire Nation did with the last group of Earth Kingdom prisoners?"

"Dressed them up in Fire Nation uniforms and put them on the frontline unarmed, is what I heard. Then they just watched."

"You watch your mouth!" Gansu spat, jabbing a finger at them.

Gow's ostrich-horse moved forward but Nava stepped in front of him, holding her hands out.

"Why bother rooting around in the mud with these pigs?" Gow grumbled, pulling the reins, turning around, and leaving with his men.

Lee turned to his parents, clutching his mother's arm.

"What's going to happen to my brother?"

"I'm going to the front. I'm going to find Sen Su and bring him home," Gansu said to Sela.

Sela put her face in her hands and her shoulders began to shake. Her husband led her back towards the house, but Lee stayed behind. Nava got onto the ostrich behind Zuko.

"When my dad goes will you stay?"

"No, we need to move on," Zuko said. He rummaged around in his pocket for a second before taking out a fancy dagger and offering it to him. "I want you to have this. Read the inscription."

"Made in the Earth Kingdom."

"The other one."

"Never give up without a fight."

Zuko flicked the reins and they took off down the road, away from Lee.

They travelled for about an hour before Zuko decided they should take a break. He looked sullen as he dismounted after Nava and tied him to a nearby fence post. He sat on the ground, pulling absentmindedly at the grass.

"What's the matter?" Nava asked, sitting down beside him. "Are you worried about Lee?"

He nodded minutely.

"My country did that to his family. We did that thousands of other families, all because we want to rule the world."

"It's not your fault. You weren't even born when it began, and you were raised to believe the Fire Nation was the greatest power in the world. You were just as misinformed as any other Fire Nation kid, but you're allowing yourself to see how the war affects everyone else, and that's better than nothing."

"My father... he's so disappointed in me. I want him to accept me again but... I don't know if I can continue to condone his actions."

Nava rested her hand on his, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Whatever you choose to do, I know your uncle and I will do our best to support you,"

Zuko gave her a tender look and she smiled – a genuine, eye-crinkling smile. She had dimples above her chin, he noticed.

The sound of wood creaking drew their attention back towards the road. Sela was approaching them on an old wagon, looking panicked.

"Please, you have to help. It's Lee," she got off the wagon and Nava met her halfway. "Those thugs came back as soon as Gansu left. When they ordered us to give them food, Lee pulled a knife on them – I don't even know where he got a knife! They took him away and said that if he's old enough to fight, he's old enough to join the army. I know we barely know you, but..."

Sela burst into tears and Nava put her arm across her shoulders.

"I'll get your son back," Zuko said, mounting the ostrich-horse and taking off back towards town.

Nava and Sela got onto the wagon and followed him.

"Where on earth could he have gotten such an intricately designed knife?" Sela was muttering. "Did he steal it? Was it given to him, but who would have given it to him? I don't think those soldiers are daft enough to let a dagger like that go unguarded..."

They got to the outskirts of the town a little while after Zuko did. The streets were loud with clamouring citizens and the shouts of soldiers. Nava jumped down from the wagon and turned to Sela.

"Stay out of the way and if things get bad, run. We'll get Lee out no matter what," was all she said before running into the town, following the noise and finding Zuko squaring off with two other soldiers. Unsheathing her blades, she came up beside him, getting into a fighting stance. The soldiers charged at them simultaneously, crying out.

Nava crossed her blades in front of her, grabbing the spear in the crosshair and snapping it in half. She jabbed the soldier in the temple with the hilt and he fell to the ground, dazed. She advanced on him and kicked him swiftly in the gut. The soldier got to his feet and instead of retaliating, he ran off, followed quickly by the other one.

Gow was the only one who remained. He drew his war hammers and got into an earthbending stance. He slammed his hammers into the ground and rocks rose into the air. Which each swing, the earth flew towards them. Nava dodged with ease and got down low to the ground, like a predator readying itself to attack its prey. While Gow was preoccupied with Zuko, Nava rushed him, getting close enough to nick him with her swords before he sent a wall of rock at her, and she was sent flying.

She skidded past Zuko, hesitating for only a moment before getting to her feet. Brushing the dust off her pants, she straightened up and deflected the stones that were being thrown her way. Zuko was driven back beside her. He spared her a glance.

"You okay?" he asked, blocking another rock.

"Just peachy," Nava said through gritted teeth.

Gow gave a great yell and jumped into the air. With a blow that shook the earth, he slammed his hammers into the ground and shockwaves were sent towards Zuko and Nava. A hefty chunk of earth erupted from the ground and he sent it towards them. Nava narrowly made it out of the way, but Zuko was hit square in the chest. He flew back and landed in the dirt, unmoving.

Nava felt as though time stood still as she hurried to his side, calling his name and lightly tapping his face.

"Come on, Zuko," she whispered. "Not here, not like this. Get up!"

As if a switch had been flipped, Zuko's eyes snapped open and he screamed in rage. He spun in a circle as he rose, fire erupting from his fingertips as he went. Nava shielded herself from the heat and could only watch helplessly as the prince advanced on Gow, merciless with his bouts of fire. With a final blow that sent him into the wall of the building, Zuko was left standing in the middle of the street, breathing heavily.

Gow rose from the rubble, looking at him in fear.

"Who – who are you?" he said weakly.

"My name is Zuko, son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai, Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne."

Nava's heart sank as he spoke, and she stood slowly, sheathing her blades.

"Liar!" someone called. "I heard of you; you're not a prince, you're an outcast! His own father burned and disowned him."

Zuko walked towards Gow, stooping and picking up what looked to be the dagger he gave to Lee. He walked over to where Sela and Lee were but was stopped by the woman.

"Not a step closer," she said fiercely.

The Prince kneeled and offered the dagger to Lee.

"It's yours," he said. "You should have it."

"No, I hate you!" the boy responded. He turned and walked away with his mother, never to look back.

Zuko made his way back to Nava, taking her gently by the hand and leading her out of town.

They got onto the ostrich-horse and set off once again.

"You did the right thing," she said quietly.

Zuko didn't answer.


	9. Chapter 9

It had been a few days since the incident with Lee and his family, and Nava and Zuko were still on the move. They had passed through a few villages and stopped briefly for food for the ostrich-horse, but other than that they didn't stop for anything else. By the fourth town they were coming up on, Nava forced Zuko to stop.

"It's been nearly a week, we should stop and let the bird rest," she'd said to him.

With a huff, Zuko came up to the gates of the town and they got off the ostrich-horse. He tied its reins to one of the posts and followed Nava into the village.

It was a bustling place, with merchants lining the streets, calling out for customers to buy their wares.

"Maybe I'll find a bow here," Nava mused, looking across the stalls.

"And buy it with what money?" Zuko said.

"Who said I was going to buy one? Maybe someone will misplace theirs. Or maybe they'll somehow lose their coin purses – Zuko, look at that!" she exclaimed, pointing directly to their left.

He looked to where she was gesturing. An alley stretched between two buildings, and a man was standing at a small table, which was lined with miscellaneous items. The people seemed to ignore him, skirting around his table and keeping their gazes averted.

"He looks shady," Zuko said.

"A shady merchant for shady teenagers,"

"We do not look shady!"

"A couple of random kids show up in a town of less than a hundred people, one of which has a huge scar on his face, and the other has huge knives strapped to her belt. Yeah, not shady at all," she said, rolling her eyes. She pulled him by the sleeve towards the merchant, but instead of stopping at his stall, she took him straight past it.

Nava glanced over the table as they passed, looking for anything resembling a bow and arrow. She saw on hanging on the wall and nearly halted in her tracks. They stopped on the other side of the alley, Zuko looking at her in confusion.

"Did you change your mind?"

"No. Even if he did have a bow, it's not like we can afford one. I just wanted to scope out his stall to see, and I saw one on the wall behind him. I didn't get a good look at it, but it's a bow."

"And how do you plan on getting it?"

"How do you think?" she hissed. "Definitely not legally. Let's go find somewhere to set up camp and I'll tell you my plan."

In order to give the ostrich-horse a rest from carrying them, they walked it beside them as they headed back a couple of miles to a small wooded area. They found a clearing close to the edge of the trees and set up their sleeping mats and started a fire.

"Okay, so I was thinking that I could borrow your Blue Spirit uniform and go back tonight, after all the shops have shut down. I'll follow the merchant and corner him in an alleyway and then take the bow. I'll come back here, and we'll leave at dawn."

"What if he follows you back?"

"He won't. I'll make sure of it."

"I think I should go with you, you know, for backup."

"Do you doubt my thieving skills, even though it's what I've been doing for nearly five years?"

"I just don't want you to bite off more than you can chew and get yourself arrested. Because then I'll have to break you out."

"Prince Zuko are you worried about me? I'm touched, but I can handle myself," Nava said, then added. "If you must come to ease your mind, then you can, but we do things my way. Deal?"

"Deal."

///

Once the sun started to set and the sky turned a pinkish-orange, Nava and Zuko suited up. Nava tied the Blue Spirit mask around her head while Zuko covered his nose and below with a black scarf. Briefing themselves on the plan one last time, they set off back towards the town. The sun had just dipped below the horizon when they arrived. They waited on the outskirts as the sky darkened and once Nava deemed it safe enough, they entered the town.

Some merchants were just finishing closing up shop and others were already gone. Nava stuck to the shadows while Zuko followed from rooftops. She found the man carrying a box full of things down one of the smaller streets. They tailed him for a few blocks, and when he turned down another alley, Nava signalled to Zuko. They cornered him in the alleyway, Nava at one end and Zuko at the other.

The man set his box of things on the ground and rose his hands in surrender.

"Take whatever you want," he said. "I won't tell no one, I swear."

Keeping her hand on the handle of her blade, Nava crept forward, and never taking her eyes off of the man in front of her, pulled the box towards her with her foot. As she stooped and sifted through the box, she noticed the slightest movement of the man.

She saw the glint of his knife and grabbed him by the wrist, twisting his arm behind his back and shoving him towards the ground. Nava pressed her foot between his shoulder blades and pushed his arm up. Zuko surged forward and dug through the crate, pulling out the bow, arrow, and quiver from earlier. Snatching the knife from the man's hand, Nava pinned his sleeves to the ground.

"Let's go," she said to Zuko, and they left the town without any more altercations.

Nava examined the bow as they walked. It was made of beautiful oak wood with intricate gold designs on the upper and lower limbs. The arrows were similar, with dark red vanes and a leather quiver. Wrapped around the arrows was a red cloth. Upon further examination of the bow, Nava saw a small red triangle on the backside of the upper limb: the mark of the Yuyan.

"This belonged to a Yuyan agent," she breathed. "A full-fledged, recognized agent."

"How do you know?"

"On the headbands of the graduated archers, we had little red triangles to signify our status of official agents. When we got our headbands, we got bows like these and they had the triangles on them," she said, and her voice got quieter. "I miss it a lot more than I thought I would."

Zuko found himself searching for her hand. She didn't shy away when their fingers brushed and didn't say anything once they intertwined.

"When I become Fire Lord, and you're no longer an enemy to the Fire Nation," he said. "I'd like to invite you to be my official bodyguard."

"Wait, are you serious?" Nava felt as though she was going to vomit. "Oh my gosh, you are serious," her face broke into a grin. "I'd love to be your bodyguard! Imagine Colonel Shinu's reaction when he finds out, oh man this is going to be great. Thank you, Prince Zuko. It's a wonderful opportunity."

"Yeah, well, it'll only happen if I can capture the Avatar and finish this war."

"We'll work on it. We're not moving very fast, but we'll get there."

They hadn't realized they made it back to their camp until they heard the squawk of the ostrich-horse taking note of their arrival.

"We'll snack on some leftovers from Sela and then we'll grab some more food in the next town tomorrow," Nava said, releasing Zuko's hand and heading towards the ostrich.

She gave it an affectionate pat on the head and opened one of the flaps on its saddle. She pulled out the package of food and brought it over to Zuko, who had just rekindled the fire. She sat down beside him, and they shared the leftover rice and meat, which were beginning to taste a little more like clay than anything. They ate in silence, sitting close enough that their shoulders brushed. After they finished, they moved to their respective sleeping mats, Nava by the ostrich-horse, and Zuko on the other side of the fire, and fell asleep as the moon crawled across the sky.

///

They were up and gone right at dawn the next morning. Zuko took care to avoid the town at all costs, even going as far as to circle around the outskirts in a large arc. Nava spent a lot of the previous night awake, thinking about what Zuko had said to her. He trusted her enough to have her guard his life! For as much as she disliked him during the winter, Nava found herself warming up to the Prince, and it saddened her to think that one day their paths would divulge. She would have to wait until he became Fire Lord until she could become his bodyguard, and that would take years if the Fire Nation won the war.

She was dozing with the left side of her face rested against Zuko's back, her arms wrapped tightly around his middle. She tapped a rhythm on his waistband to keep herself awake before she felt the ostrich lurch. Nava opened her eyes in time to see them veering off the road and into a covering of trees.

"What's going on?" she asked, but Zuko rose a hand to silence her.

He pointed the way they had come from and squinting, Nava could see what he was gesturing to. A trail of smoke was billowing out from a large tank, moving faster than anything she had ever seen before. Faintly, she could make out a Fire Nation insignia painted on it.

"What is that?" she said.

"A tank. Only two people in the Fire Nation have one: my father, and my sister."

"What could Azula be doing out here? Looking for you?"

"No. Looking for the Avatar. Maybe she has a trail on him."

They both fell silent as the tank approached. The ostrich-horse shufflednervously as it passed, and Zuko led them back onto the main road once it was alarge distance ahead. There was an unspoken agreement between them, and Zuko madea clicking noise with his mouth, willing the ostrich to follow the track marksleft in the dirt.


	10. Chapter 10

They followed the plume of smoke for hours. With every passing minute, Nava could feel her anxiety growing. They followed the tank into a forested area, watching as three lizards dismounted and scurried off into the distance. Atop the lizards were three girls: Azula, a girl in pink, and a girl in dark red robes. Zuko egged the ostrich-horse on, following the girls from the bush and moving slowly to avoid suspicion.

"The Avatar is trying to give us the slip," Azula was saying. She pointed towards the tree tops. "You two head in that direction and keep an eye out for the bison, and I'll follow this trail."

The trio split up and Zuko followed behind Azula.

"Who are those girls?" Nava whispered.

"The one in pink is Ty Lee, the other one is Mai. They've been friends with my sister for years," Zuko said. He sounded angry.

Eventually, they made it to a deserted town, similar to the one Lee and his family lived in.

Zuko took him and Nava around the outskirts and tied the ostrich horse to a post.

"Get up onto one of the buildings and keep a clear sight on the Avatar; don't let him leave," he said. "I'll take care of Azula."

Nava held her bow in one hand and rolled her shoulders back. Her poise changed immediately and Zuko suddenly remembered that she was trained to kill.

They split up upon reaching the town. Zuko went down a narrow alleyway while Nava scaled the back of a tall building and positioned herself behind a large wooden sign. She peered around the end of it and notched an arrow. Below, she could see the Avatar and Azula standing on either end of the street.

"Do you really want to fight me?" the Princess said, sounding bored.

Aang's response was cut off by Zuko bursting into view, landing in a crouched position between them.

"Yes," he said, straightening up. "I really do."

Nava shook her head. So dramatic, she thought.

"Oh, I was wondering when you'd show up, Zuzu. Did you bring your little Yuyan girl too?" Azula said.

Zuko got into a firebending stance, his arms outstretched towards both his sister and Aang.

"Back off, Azula, he's mine!" he growled.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said, all traces of amusement gone.

There was a moment of silence, all three of them deciding who would attack first, and then a burst of blue fire erupted from Azula's hands. Zuko blocked her blast with his own flames and Aang took off into the air with his glider. Nava's arrow followed him, faltering slightly when he was knocked out of the sky by Azula. A shadow suddenly appeared over Nava and she looked up, yelling out when she saw Azula standing over her.

"Hello there," was all she said before taking Nava by the collar and shoving her off the building.

She landed painfully on her back, the wind knocked out of her. As she gasped for air, she could only watch as Azula jumped off the roof and blocked a succession of fireballs sent by Zuko. Rolling onto her stomach and pushing herself uneasily to her feet, Nava grabbed her bow from a few feet away from her and loaded another arrow. She aimed for Azula's arm and released the string with a sharp inhale. The arrow caught the princess' sleeve and pinned it to a stack of wooden crates. Another one quickly followed, this time to her other arm.

"Stay out of this, you filthy peasant!" Azula spat, yanking her arm free and narrowly avoiding a blast from Zuko.

She followed the Avatar into a two-story structure with a sign labelled 'saloon' and Zuko followed, flying through the window behind them and landing with a crash. Nava hurried across the street towards the saloon and as she was entering the door, Aang came out. They stared at each other as they passed but did nothing to stop the other. Nava skidded to Zuko's side, who was struggling to get up. She helped him to his feet and as she did, Azula jumped down from the second floor. She didn't allow Nava or Zuko to react as she summoned enough fire to blow them out through the wall. Nava flew across the street and through a boarded-up window. She slammed against the wall opposite and crumpled to the ground, pain radiating all over her body.

Nava laid there for a while, trying to muster the energy to get up, but with every move she made, her muscles screamed in protest. She could see Zuko lying a few feet away from the building through the open doorway. His head was turned towards her, his eyes struggling to stay open, but eventually he gave in and they closed.

She fought off unconsciousness with everything she had, and managed to stay awake long enough to see Iroh approach. Just the sight of him made Nava want to cry, and the newfound hope forced her to a sitting position. Leaning heavily on the wall, she got to her knees, and then to her feet. Iroh helped Zuko up and turned to Nava. Zuko was at her side first, putting her arm around his shoulders and leading her out of the building and onto the street.

"Can you walk?" he asked, taking his arm from around her and holding her shoulders at arm's-length.

"I think so," Nava said. Zuko released her and she stumbled forward a step before regaining her balance and nodding. "Let's finish this."

Unsheathing her knives, as her bow laid forgotten on the street somewhere, Nava helped Zuko and Iroh in cornering Azula in a semi-demolished building. Katara, Aang, Sokka, and an unfamiliar girl in green were beside them, all ready to strike at a common enemy.

"Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together," Azula said. She thought for a second then rose her hands in surrender. "I'm done, I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honour."

No one moved, but Iroh minutely lowered his hands. Seeing the opening, the corner of Azula's mouth quirked and she struck him square in the chest with a blast of fire. Iroh was sent backwards, his eyes widened in surprise. Nava broke from the group and sprinted towards him, falling to her knees at his side.

Zuko let out a yell of despair and whipped around to his sister, unleashing a ball of fire equal in power. The Avatar's friends followed suit; earth, water, air, and boomerang all attacking the Princess. In retaliation, she shielded herself with her bending, the sheer force of energy exploding in all direction. Nava shielded Iroh from the flaming debris and once deeming it safer, she started to undo the front of his robes. The wound wasn't pretty, but it didn't look fatal.

Zuko collapsed to his knees beside her, fisting his hands in his hair. Four shadows overcame them he turned to address the Avatar and his friends.

"Get away from us," he said savagely.

"Zuko, I can help!" Katara said, outstretching her hand and stepping forward.

Zuko swept his arm in an arc, fire coming from his palm.

"I said leave!" he screamed.

The four of them hesitated for a moment before eventually turning, leaving Nava, Zuko, and Iroh in the burning ghost town.

Zuko clenched his fists and grit his teeth. A tear rolled down his cheek.

"We can fix this," Nava said softly. "Get him onto the ostrich-horse and take him to that building on the top of the hill. I'll scavenge for some bandages and we'll go from there," she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Zuko, he's going to live."

The Prince was still for a moment before nodding and getting to his feet. He bent and lifted Iroh up, slinging his uncle's arm across his shoulders. He led/dragged him back towards the ostrich-horse and Nava went in the opposite direction. She searched through the buildings, often avoiding fallen debris and burning wood, but she was able to scrounge up some bandages and what looked to be ointment. Grabbing her bow and arrows from the ground as she passed, she made her way up to the shack she'd pointed out to Zuko.

As Nava climbed the hill, she was suddenly beginning to feel the extent of her injuries from being thrown into the wall by Azula. She would have to check for any serious bruising later, but she couldn't say she was more worried about herself than Iroh. The older man had taken quite a hit and if they didn't treat it right, it could result in infection and the closest town was a couple hours in any direction.

Zuko was sitting beside his uncle in the less-decrepit of two shacks, staring down at him with a blank expression.

"Get his tunic open," Nava said as she approached. "And apply this cream while I figure out how to wrap his wound."

She tossed the clay pot at him and he caught it without looking. He slathered it over the burn none-too-gently, but Iroh didn't seem to mind because he was unconscious. Nava unrolled the bandage and sat on her knees across from Zuko. She started at his naval, and with Zuko's help, wrapped the entire roll around his chest and shoulder. Nava sat back on her heels and heaved a deep breath.

"That's all we can do for now. Best thing for us is to sit and make sure his condition doesn't worsen. If he starts to heat up or the wound keeps bleeding, it might be infected and we'll have to get him somewhere with real supplies quickly," she looked at Zuko. "You should get some rest, it's been a long day. I'll watch over him and wake you up in a few hours."

The Prince looked at her briefly before standing and going over to the other side of the shack and lying down.

Nava leaned against the wall a few hours later, watching the steady rise and fall of Iroh's chest, and then looked over at Zuko, who was still. She could tell he wasn't sleeping, but she left him to his thoughts.

Once the sun set and the stars were beginning to wink into view, Zuko stirred and sat up.

"Any changes?" he asked her.

Nava shook her head.

"He hasn't got a fever, but he also hasn't really done much else. Are you ready to switch?"

Zuko responded by getting up from his seat and walking over to sit against the wall beside her. She got up to move, but his hand darted out and took her wrist.

He didn't look at her, but she got the message and sat back down. Making herself comfortable, she rested her head on his shoulder and allowed herself to fall into a light repose.

///

Nava didn't awaken until the next morning. She was still leaning against Zuko, who at some point, put his head on hers. She nudged him softly and straightened up, her back cracking from being in an uncomfortable position for so long.

"Have you been awake all night?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"Most of it. I think I fell asleep sometime around dawn."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"You looked peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you. Are you hungry? I can go find something to eat for breakfast; maybe make some tea in case Uncle wakes up."

"Hey, maybe the aroma will bring him back to his senses," Nava said, smiling at her own joke.

Zuko scoffed and got to his feet.

"I'll be back in a little while."

Once Nava was left alone, she stared down at Iroh.

"This little adventure was good for him," she said to the unconscious man. "We helped a boy named Lee and his family from these thuggish Earth Kingdom soldiers. We didn't steal anything else, except my bow, but it was my idea so don't blame him. He was really worried about you, too. Sometimes he'd be up through the night talking to himself about how we should turn back to find you, but I guess you weren't too far off the entire time. I know he blames himself for what happened to you, and he probably will for a long time, but it's fortunate that you showed up when you did. Without you, I don't know if he would have been able to get up and who knows what Azula would have done then."

She paused for a moment. "I haven't seen either of my parents in a very long time – my dad messed around in the black market and he owed a debt to the wrong people. He took too long to repay it and when they came to collect, they killed my mom and he died trying to avenge her. They hid me in the closet and the black market guys left right after. I didn't have any other living relatives so the government kind of just... left me to fend for myself. But then I met Colonel Shu and I started a new life. I don't really remember what kind of person my parents were, but I'd want them to be like you. Zuko is very lucky that he has you... and I guess I am, too."

Twigs snapping announced Zuko's reappearance and he entered the shack, his wide-brimmed had filled with leaves and berries.

"We might be able to use some of this to make tea," he said. "We can use the water in our canteens and boil it."

"Do you even know how to make proper tea?" Nava said, standing up to inspect the contents in the hat. She could see some blueberries, nuts, and an assortment of leaves.

"Well, not exactly. Do you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do not."

"Great. You boil the water and I'll sort our ingredients."

Nearly an hour and three failed concoctions later, Zuko managed to brew a tea that was mostly drinkable.

Nava sipped it, putting on a tight-lipped smile when in reality she was seconds away from vomiting.

Iroh awakening startled the both of them.

"Uncle!" Zuko gasped. "You were unconscious. Azula did this to you, it was a surprise attack."

Iroh hissed as he sat up and leaned against the wall.

"Somehow that's not so surprising," he said, rubbing his chest gingerly.

Zuko held out a cup of tea for him and he took it.

"I hope I made it the way you like it."

Iroh took a sip, only to gag and cover it up with a cough. He knocked the rest of it back with a grunt.

"Mmm... that was very, er, bracing!" he said, handing his nephew the empty cup. Zuko promptly refilled it and handed it back.

Once he turned away, Iroh tossed the tea out the window.

"So, Uncle, I've been thinking," Zuko said, turning back with a fresh cup of his own. "It will only be a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need more firebending moves if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her."

"No, she's crazy and she needs to go down," Iroh said bluntly. Setting the cup down, he rose slowly to his feet and clasped his hands together. "It's time to resume your training, but first why don't you let me make a new pot of tea?"

A few minutes later, the three of them were outside again, Iroh sitting on the ground in front of a small fire with a teapot from his pack on it.

"Now, lightning is a pure expression of firebending – it is without aggression," he said. "It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is, some even call it the cold-blooded fire," he took the kettle off the fire and poured three cups of tea, giving each of them one. "It is precise and deadly, like Azula. In order to perform the technique, one would require peace of mind."

"So that's why we're drinking tea: to calm the mind." Zuko said sagely.

"Oh, good point! I – I mean, yes." Iroh said. He stood up and led them over to the cliffside. "The energy that is all around us – it is yin and yang energy. Positive energy and negative energy," he held out his index fingers to signify each energy. "It is rare for firebenders to be able to separate these energies, which creates imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance and when it does, the positive and negative energy comes crashing back together. You provide release and guidance, creating lightning."

Signaling for them to stand back, Iroh went through circular motions with his arms and lunged towards the cliff, releasing lightning into the distance. Nava could feel the electrical energy prickling her skin.

"I'm ready to try it!" Zuko said excitedly.

Moving to stand beside Iroh, Nava watched as the Prince mimicked the moves and he lunged forward with a shout. Instead of lightning, he summoned a burst of fire that exploded and sent him flying a few feet. He landed on his back with a grunt. Beside her, Iroh shook his head.

Zuko made a sound of frustration as he got to his feet.

"Why can't I do it? Instead of lightning, it keeps exploding in my face! Like everything always does."

Nava rolled her eyes as Iroh stood up and approached his nephew.

"I was worried this would happen. You will not be able to control lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you."

"What turmoil?" Zuko shot back.

"You must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away."

The Prince looked offended.

"But I don't feel any shame at all; I'm as proud as ever!"

"You must understand, Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. Once you achieve true humility will you be rid of your shame."

Looking over at the ostrich horses and then at Nava, Zuko sighed.

"Well my life has been nothing but humbling lately," he said quietly.

Iroh scratched his chin in thought before beaming.

"I know, I will teach you a firebending move that even Azula doesn't know; because I made it up myself!"

Zuko's distaste was replaced with curiosity. Sitting cross-legged beside Nava, they both waited for Iroh to go on.

Grabbing a stick from nearby, Iroh drew the symbols of the Four Nations and divided them into four sectors.

"Fire is the element of power," he said, pointing to the flame. "People of the Fire Nation are driven and have the desire and energy to achieve what they want. Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong; persistent and enduring, and some would say stubborn."

Nava snorted at that and Iroh went on,

"Air is the element of freedom, the Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and possessions and as a result, found freedom and peace. And water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable to adapting to many things – they have a sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."

"This is all starting to sound like Avatar stuff," Zuko said.

"The combination of the elements is what makes the Avatar so powerful, but regular people like us can stand to take wisdom from multiple places. The technique I'm about to show you is one I learned from studying the waterbenders."

Zuko got to his feet and Iroh led him a few feet away.

Nava watched them practice the waterbending moves, half-listening to Iroh's lecture. She mainly focused on Zuko, studying him as his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. He was so determined to one-up Azula; there was a lot of strain in their relationship, if it could even be called a relationship. 

She remembered Zuko being so excited that they were close to the Avatar, and then being overthrown by Zhao. 

He was so excited to go home, and then was betrayed by his sister. 

He helped Lee and his family, only to be shunned by them. 

And now his uncle had nearly been killed and was still in rough shape. He couldn't seem to catch a break, and Nava was worried that all his pain would come to a head and he would do something rash.

"I'm ready to try it with real lightning!" Zuko's voice cut into her thoughts.

"What, are you crazy? I'm not going to shoot lightning at you!" Iroh said frantically. "If you are lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all."

Thunder rumbled in the distance and they all turned to the horizon, where dark clouds were creeping their way towards them.

"Well if you won't teach me, I'll find my own lightning." Zuko snapped, stomping past Nava and over to one of the ostrich horses. He mounted it and took off down the mountain, into the storm.

Nava stood and looked over to Iroh, who was shaking his head.

"You don't think he's going to do what I think he is... do you?" she said timidly.

"I think he is. He will do whatever it takes to get the upper-hand on his sister. Their pitted him and his sister against each other. He's said that Azula was born lucky, and Zuko was just lucky to be born."

"That's awful. What kind of father says that?"

"My brother is not a good man. He is power-hungry and doesn't see that the harm he is doing is going to affect him as well."

Nava looked back to where Zuko was a moment ago, her lips pressed together in a thin line.


	11. Chapter 11

"That storm is getting closer, do you think Zuko got caught in it?" Nava asked, squinting at the distant lightning. She already knew the answer.

"If he did, my nephew is wise enough to get to safety and wait it out. I trust he will be fine." Iroh said.

He gave her a reassuring smile and she half-heartedly returned it. She sat with him in the shack as the rain started to pelt the rotting wood, some dripping onto the worn floor.

///

The storm didn't let up by nightfall. Iroh had fallen asleep a little while ago and was snoring lightly in the corner. A small fire separated him and Nava, who was sitting on the stoop, her elbow on her knee and her chin in her palm. She counted the seconds between lightning strikes and thunderclaps, trying to distract her buzzing mind from Zuko.

Eventually his figure emerged at the bottom of the hill. Nava stood up, motionless as Zuko and the ostrich horse drew closer. She watched as he tied the animal up beside the other in the smaller of the two shacks and then went up to her. His face was devoid of all emotion as he rested his forehead on her shoulder.

Taking the hint, Nava hugged him, ignoring the wetness of his clothes sweeping through her own. They stood like that for a while, Zuko's shoulders shaking subtly, his sobs unheard over the rain.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said quietly. "I'll make you some tea and you can get changed and warm up, alright?"

She pulled back and held him at arm's length, waiting for his answer. Zuko ducked his head but nodded anyway.

Nava left him alone while she gathered the proper supplies and boiled the teapot. After he changed into dry clothes and sipped his tea, they sat silently in front of the fire, their shoulders touching.

Eventually Nava got up and unrolled her sleeping mat, settling down a minute later.

She was still awake when Zuko unrolled his mat, surprised when he set it down beside hers. He laid down and Nava didn't dare to move; she could barely bring herself to breathe. She could feel his body heat and nearly jumped out of her skin when his forehead pressed against her shoulder-blade. Eventually his breathing evened out and she willed herself to relax, allowing the storm to lull her to sleep.

///

A few days later, the trio was trekking along on their ostrich horses, Zuko and Nava on one, and Iroh on the other. Nava had wanted to stay put a little longer, to give Iroh more time to recover, but both men were adamant to get moving again, so she relented. Now, however, the former general was trying, and failing, to mask his pain.

"Maybe we should make camp," Zuko said.

"No, no, do not stop because of me!" Iroh said. "I'm sure I'll be fine!"

Nava rolled her eyes but remained silent.

So they continued on, only for Iroh to start dramatically wailing in pain. With a huff, Zuko brought them to a stop and got off the ostrich-horse. Iroh slid off his steed and settled himself on a large rock, rubbing his wound gingerly.

They were hardly able to rest for more than a minute before the horses' heads whipped around to look behind them. One of them nervously shuffled its feet.

"What now?" Iroh said, clearly annoyed.

Zuko got into a defensive position as Nava drew her bow and notched an arrow. A herd of rhinos burst from the trees. Atop the rhinos were five burly men, each with a distinct weapon. Nava immediately recognized the Yuyan archer, tattoo and all. Her bow faltered slightly as the men surrounded the three of them.

"Colonel Mongke, what a pleasant surprise!" Iroh said cheerfully.

The bald one, apparently Mongke, snorted.

"If you're surprised we're here then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps," he knocked the bracers on his forearms together, creating sparks.

"Uncle, you know these guys?"

"Of course, Colonel Mongke and the Rough Riders are legendary; each one is a different type of weapons' specialist. They are also a very capable singing group!"

"We're not here to give a concert," Mongke said. "We're here to apprehend fugitives."

"Would you like some tea first? I'd love some. What about you Kachi? I make you as a jasmine man, am I right?" Iroh said.

"Enough stalling, round them up!" Mongke shouted, flicking the reins on his rhino.

Nava rolled out of the way of a blast of fire, aiming her bow at the Yuyan. She let the arrow fly and it embedded itself in his shoulder. The flaming arrow he nocked was released and made its way towards Zuko. Without thinking, Nava dove for it, grabbing it by the stock and flinging it back at the archer. In a stroke of luck, the arrow went clean through the upper limb of the bow and broke the string on the other side.

She didn't have time to gawk at her accomplishment before Iroh was grabbing her by the wrist and taking her back to the ostrich-horses. They each mounted one and took off towards the trees. Zuko, who had just kicked Mongke off his rhino, jumped on behind Nava as she passed him. Before they could get into the trees, one of the armoured Rough Riders tossed a fire grenade in front of them, where it exploded a second later. Egging the animals on, Nava and Iroh rode through the smoke and used it as a cover to get away.

Once they were a safe distance away, Nava released a long breath.

"It's always nice to see old friends," Iroh said lightly.

"Yeah, too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you." Zuko said.

Iroh scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm... old friends that don't want to attack me..." he thought about that for a minute, before finally perking up. "There is a place near the desert called the Ice Oasis, there is a friend of mine there that can help us out."

"How far is that from here?"

"Not far, maybe a few more hours of riding."

Nava and Zuko exchanged looks.

"Let's go." Zuko said to his uncle.

///

Sure enough, the oasis was only three hours away. Nava didn't know what she was expecting, but it wasn't a six-foot-tall pile of ice in a three-foot-deep hole. She had to admit, though, it was pretty cool. They set up the ostrich-horses in a stable outside the largest building: a saloon. The patrons inside didn't look friendly, they eyed the newcomers with distaste, which Iroh and Zuko ignored, but Nava felt uncomfortable under their stares. They sat at a table tucked away in the corner of the saloon.

"No one here is going to help us," Zuko huffed. "These people just look like filthy wanderers."

"So do we." Nava said.

"I think I've found our friend." Iroh said, nodding towards a lone man sitting at a Pai Sho table.

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko said in disbelief.

"I don't think this is a gamble." Iroh said and got up. He approached the man and sat on the vacant seat. "May I have this game?"

Zuko and Nava followed him and stood behind Iroh.

"The guest has the first move," the man said.

Without hesitation, Iroh placed a lotus tile in the centre of the board.

"I see you favour the white lotus gambit; not many still cling to the ancient ways."

"Those who do can always find a friend." Iroh said cryptically.

"Then let us play."

The game was started and completed within minutes. About halfway through, Nava realized that they were creating a shape. Each man sat back as the shape finished – a lotus.

"Welcome brother," the stranger said. "The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

"Just what are you two geezers talking about?" Zuko cut in.

"I always tried to tell you, nephew, Pai Sho is more than just a game."

"I'm not waiting all night for these old men to finish yapping! It's over! You fugitives are coming with me!"

Nava and Zuko whipped around to face a burly man, who was jabbing a meaty finger at them. Another man came up beside him. He was on the scrawny side, dressed in fancy Earth Kingdom robes.

"I knew it!" the Pai Sho player exclaimed. "You three are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!"

"I thought you said he would help." Zuko said to his uncle through gritted teeth.

"He is," Iroh whispered. "Just watch."

"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?"

Every single patron perked up at the word gold. One by one they got up and surrounded the two men.

"On three, run towards the back exit," the Pai Sho player said, slowly inching backwards. "One... two... three!"

Nava, Zuko, and Iroh took off without another thought, following the stranger out the backway and into the darkened streets. They didn't let up until they reached a smaller village at the edge of the desert. The stranger took them into a flower shop, checking to make sure no one was following them before locking the door behind them.

"It is an honour to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus," he said. "Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets."

"Now that you've played a rousing game of Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging?" Zuko said impatiently. "Or are we going to get some real help?"

Nava nudged him with her elbow, shooting him a frown.

"Be respectful, Zuko," she hissed.

The Pai Sho player knocked on a door on the back wall. A small window in the middle slid open and a man peeked through.

"Who knocks at the guarded gate?"

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries," Iroh said.

The window closed with a snap and a second later, the door opened. Nava and Zuko attempted to follow, but Iroh stopped them.

"I'm afraid it's members only," he said before promptly slamming the door in their faces.

Zuko let out a sound of frustration and leaned on one of the tables, his arms folded over his chest and his face in a deep scowl. Nava fiddled with the flowers to busy herself, humming some tune she learned during her days in the Yuyan. Once she was tired with that, she sat on the ground at Zuko's feet, drawing pictures in the dirt.

Zuko was quiet for most of the evening and eventually sank to the ground beside her. They played a few games of tic-tac-toe, which resulted in Zuko messing up Nava's very accurate dirt-drawing of him after he lost for the third time in a row.

After that, they sat in silence. They both fell asleep at one point, Nava with her head on his shoulder, and Zuko with his head on hers.

The door opening startled them both.

Zuko jumped to his feet, still half-asleep, while Nava fell onto her side. She sat up quickly, rubbing her eyes.

"What's going on?" Zuko said. "Is the club meeting over?"

"Everything has been taken care of," Iroh said, helping Nava to her feet. "We're heading to Ba Sing Se."

Something akin to dread settled in her stomach.

"Why are we going to the Earth Kingdom capital?" Zuko asked.

"The city is full of refugees; no one will notice three more," the Pai Sho player said.

"We can hide in plain sight! It's the safest place from the Fire Nation – not even I could break through to the city."

The front door opened, and a man stepped in, holding three official-looking documents.

"I have the passports for our guests, but there are two men on the street looking for them."

Iroh and Zuko peeked through the front window, spotting the two earthbenders from earlier holding up their wanted posters for a civilian to see.

"Now what do we do?" Zuko said.

"Shiyu, get three large flower pots," the Pai Sho player said to the man who brought the passports. Nava groaned inwardly. She did not like where this was going.


	12. Chapter 12

A long cart ride later, the three outlaws arrived at a hidden Earth Kingdom refugee port. Getting through customs was relatively painless and soon enough, they were aboard a ship to Ba Sing Se. Nava leaned against the railing beside Zuko, and took a sip from a wooden bowl of rotten food. Immediately feeling sick, she tossed its contents overboard.

"I'm tired of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt... I hate living like this," Zuko said, also throwing his food overboard.

"You and me both."

Both teenagers looked over, seeing a boy their age chewing on a piece of straw.

"My name's Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters: Smellerbee and Longshot."

Smellerbee, a short haired girl in dark clothing nodded at them. Longshot didn't say anything.

"Here's the deal," Jet went on. "I hear the Captain is eating like a king while the rest of us munch on his scraps. That doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"What sort of king is he eating like, exactly?" Iroh asked.

"The fat, happy kind," Jet turned back to Zuko and Nava. "You want to help us liberate some food?"

"Sure!" Nava said excitedly. "It's been a while since I did something illegal."

"I'm in." Zuko said.

"Alright, this is my plan: tonight, after everyone has eaten, the girl and Longshot will keep a lookout while you, me, and Smellerbee will sneak into the kitchen and grab the food. The guards pass the kitchen every two minutes, so we don't have a lot of time. We'll climb up there and once we've got the goods, the archers will send an arrow with a rope attached for us to zipline down. Then we'll be home free."

Nava nodded appreciatively.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," she said. "I'm Nava, by the way. This is Lee and his uncle Mushi."

"Good to meet you, we'll regroup in a few hours."

///

With the moon high in the sky, the five teenagers crept to the second level of the ship. Longshot and Nava stayed back while Jet, Zuko, and Smellerbee scaled the side of the ship, hanging onto the rail as a guard with a lantern passed. Once he turned the corner, they pulled themselves up and disappeared into what looked to be the kitchen. Nava readied her bow when she heard Smellerbee warn them the guard was coming back and shot it at the same time Longshot did. She held it taut as the food sailed down her line, and the others on Longshot's. They pulled the arrows free just as the guard passed for a second time and disappeared into the shadows.

"That was amazing!" Nava whisper-yelled. "I haven't done something like that in a long time, I forgot how exhilarating it is!"

Jet smiled at her.

"I take it you guys pulled quite a few heists in the past?"

"I did, Lee didn't. Not until we met, anyway."

She gave Zuko a fond smile and the corner of his mouth quirked up in response.

"You're a bad influence on me," he said.

///

Nava helped Jet hand out the food to the other refugees. A woman clasped her hand with tears in her eyes.

"This is the first meal my family and I have had in days," she said. "Raava has sent you to us."

"Eat well tonight," Nava said. "I'll hope for your continued wellness."

As they made their way back to their group, Jet made idle conversation.

"Are you and Lee, like, together or something?"

"No... not really?" Nava said slowly. "We've been through a lot together, but there's really been no conversation about it. Why do you ask?"

"I see the way you look at each other. It reminds me of this girl I knew from months ago."

"What happened to her?"

"I used to be a really bad person. I was going to flood this town of Fire Nation civilians to push them out of the valley we lived in but she... she saved them all with the help of her friends. She helped me to change. I disbanded the Freedom Fighters after that and Smellerbee, Longshot, and I all decided to come here."

"She sounds like a remarkable girl."

"Yeah. She is."

Jet and Nava sat beside Zuko and Iroh.

"From what I hear, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se," Jet said excitedly. "I can't wait to see that giant wall."

"It is truly a magnificent sight." Iroh said wistfully.

"You've been there?"

"Once, a long time ago. I was a different man then."

"I've done things I'm not proud of, but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se: for a new beginning. A second chance."

"How noble. Everyone deserves a second chance, I believe they can change their lives if they want to."

Nava and Zuko laid close to each other for the night, mostly for warmth, but she couldn't stop thinking about Jet's words earlier. Were they together? Back in that town with Lee's family, they played the role of a couple and it seemed so... natural. Like it was supposed to be like that. Nava looked over her shoulder at Zuko, who was sleeping on his back. Even in sleep did he look angry. His face was scrunched together in a frown, his arms folded tightly over his chest. She turned to face him completely and curled up against his side, resting her forehead on his shoulder. She told herself it was because he was warm and she wasn't, but she didn't believe it.

///

The next morning, Nava woke up with her head on Zuko's chest and his arm around her. With her ears burning, she got up and got as far as she could away from him.

She was sitting at the edge of the ship, her legs dangling over the side and her chin resting on the railing when Zuko awoke. He could see her from where he was laying, her hair moving slightly in the breeze. He didn't know why, but his stomach did flips whenever she looked at him. He woke up a few hours before she did, surprised to feel her head against his shoulder. When he put his arm around her and her head went to his chest, he nearly shoved her off of him, but it felt so... natural... to be like that with her.

Zuko was a little wary of Jet at first, because he and Nava had so much in common, but neither of them seemed to be interested in the other, which he was secretly thankful for. He got up and went over to wear she sat, leaning over the railing beside her. Neither of them looked at each other, but they didn't need to. Eventually Jet came up to join them.

"You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were."

The sentence made Zuko's blood run cold. He glanced at him, ready for a fight, but was surprised to see that Jet looked calm.

"You're an outcast, like me. Us outcasts have to stick together; we have to watch each other's backs because no one else will."

Zuko stared up at the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, which was looming ever closer.

"I've learned lately that being on your own isn't always the best path," he said quietly.

Jet nodded solemnly, like he knew exactly was Zuko was talking about.

///

Once the boat docked and everyone got off, Iroh took Zuko and Nava to a customs agent – a sour-looking lady that was a little younger than Iroh. He gave her their passports, which she scrutinized for a long time.

"So... Mr Lee, Miss Nava, and Mr Mushy, is it?" she said.

"It's pronounced Moo-shee," Iroh corrected her.

The woman looked up from the papers and glared at him.

"Are you telling me how to do my job?"

"No, no, of course not," Iroh said quickly and took a step towards her, dropping his voice to a whisper. "But may I say you're like a flower in bloom; your beauty is simply intoxicating."

As though a switch had been flipped, the customs lady's expression changed to a smile. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome," she stamped the passports and handed them back. "Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

Zuko snatched the papers from his uncle while Nava snickered.

"I'm gonna forget I saw that," he said disgustedly.

They passed through the ticket gates and made their way to the waiting area for the train into the city. Nava plopped down on a bench and stretched her legs out with a yawn.

"How are you tired already? It's barely lunch." Zuko said, sitting beside her.

"Being around this many people exhausts me. Why do you think I survived by myself before I met you?"

"Well you better get used to the crowds, there are a lot of people like us within the walls." Jet slid into a seat on the other side of Zuko. "What are your plans once you're inside?"

"I don't know, maybe find a job?" Nava said. "Maybe become some sort of vigilante?"

Zuko was silent. Their conversation was interrupted by Iroh dramatically spitting out some tea.

"Ugh, this tea isn't warm at all!" he said. "Coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it. What a disgrace!"

"Hey, can I talk to you two for a second?" Jet said quietly. He stood up and nodded for them to follow.

With a sigh, Zuko rose to his feet and Nava followed him over to Jet.

"The three of us have a better chance of making it in the city if we stick together. You guys wanna join the Freedom Fighters?"

Nava bit the inside of her cheek. She was seriously considering it – she did enjoy looting the Captain the other day, but Prince Zuko shook his head.

"Thanks, but you probably don't want us in your gang," he said.

"Come on Lee, we made a great team that night. Think of all the good we could do for these refugees."

"I said no," Zuko said, turning on his heel and going back over to his uncle.

"What about you, Nava? You said you missed it, didn't you?" Jet pressed.

"Sorry, Jet. I don't think that's the best idea, where Lee goes, I go." she said sadly.

"Fine, have it your way."

Nava went back over to Zuko and Iroh, of which the former had knocked the cup of tea from the latter's hand.

"What are you doing firebending your tea?" he hissed. "For a wise old man, that was a pretty stupid move!"

Nava's eyebrows rose as Iroh looked down mournfully at his spilled drink.

"I know you shouldn't cry over spilled tea but... it's just so sad!"

"We'll get plenty of warm tea in the city," Nava said, patting his shoulder. "But for now, let's not do anything that could give you away as Fire Nation."

It felt weird, talking to a weathered war-veteran like a child, but it seemed to work.

They weren't waiting for much longer before the train to Ba Sing Se arrived and the three of them boarded, sitting next to a couple with a newborn baby.

"What a handsome baby!" Iroh said, tickling its chin with finger.

The mother smiled and giggled softly.

"Thank you, she's only a few days old."

"What's her name?" Nava piped up from beside Iroh. "She's beautiful."

"Hope."

"That's a lovely name. Did you give birth to her in the port?"

"No, my husband and I were travelling through the Serpents' Pass when my water broke," the mother said. "Luckily, we were travelling with a group of people, one of whom knew how to deliver babies. We don't know what we would have done without them."

"That is very lucky," Iroh agreed. "Hope is such a fitting name."

They spent the rest of the train ride in silence, Nava staring out the window at the expansive farmland around them. About ten minutes into the ride, the outer wall of Ba Sing Se began to appear in the distance.

"Zuko, look at that," Nava gasped, turning in her seat to get a better look. "I've never seen anything like that in my life!"

Prince Zuko looked up, but not at the wall. He watched the way Nava's mouth curled into a smile, the crinkles at the corner of her eyes becoming more defined. He'd never seen her look so gleeful in all the months he'd known her. He wanted to see her like that more often, he decided.

"Are you looking?" she asked him suddenly, glancing down.

"Yeah, it's nothing special. There are structures grander than that back home," Zuko said dismissively, returning his scowl to his feet.

"You'll have to show me one day, then," Nava said, sitting normally again.

Once they de-boarded the train and gathered their things from the storage car, Iroh, Zuko, and Nava were taken to a table for the keys to their new apartment.

"Your accommodations are in the hub of the outer ring, just a two-minute walk to the marketplace," the clerk sounded bored as she pointed their routes out on a map. "Five minutes in the opposite direction and you will be taken to the city watch station and they can assist you with any problems you may have. Your apartment number is three-twenty-eight and you will be given one key each. Should you lose any of your keys, you must pay a fee of eight copper pieces to get it replaced."

She slid an envelope across the table and handed Iroh the map she had marked with the location of their dwelling and other important areas.

"Welcome to Ba Sing Se."


	13. Chapter 13

The streets of the outer ring were a lot more crowded than Nava had anticipated. She stuck close to Zuko's side, afraid to be swept away by the waves of people.

It was loud, with merchants yelling, people talking and laughing, and even some distant crying. It all felt like too much, and Nava didn't like it one bit.

Iroh, who had disappeared from their side a minute earlier suddenly re-appeared carrying a large vase with different coloured flowers in them.

"What's that for?" Zuko asked, eyeing the plants with distaste.

"I just want our new place in case someone brings home a lady friend," Iroh said, nudging his nephew with his elbow.

"This city is a prison. I don't want to make a life here."

"Life happens wherever you are, no matter if you want it to or not. Now come on, I've found us some jobs and we start this afternoon; however, the owner only needs two employees at one time, but he's agreed to let the three of us rotate shifts every week."

Nava and Zuko glanced at each other. She snatched the vase from Iroh's arms and smiled widely.

"Alright, well I'll see the two of you at home later! I'll try and scrounge up some dinner and we'll eat when you get back," she said and disappeared into the crowd of people before Zuko could intervene.

The Prince glared at the back of her head as Iroh shrugged.

"Well I guess that settles that. Let's go, we don't want to be late!"

///

Nava stood on her tip-toes to see over the heads of the civilians as she walked. She could see the apartment complex in the distance and slunk her way through the crowd, holding the vase close to her chest. She made it about halfway there before she collided with something firm. Stumbling back, an apology was most of the way out of her mouth when she recognized the person she had ran into.

"Oh, hi Jet," she said.

"Nava! I didn't think we'd ever run into each other again, this place is so crowded. Where are Lee and Mushi?" Jet said.

"They found us jobs at a tea shop somewhere, but I don't start until later, so I'm headed to our new apartment."

"Let me walk you there, there are some roguish people around here, you never know what might be hiding around the corner."

"Sure, thanks," Nava said and resumed walking. Jet ambled beside her, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Though you should know, I myself am a roguish type. I fit right in here."

Jet rose an eyebrow but didn't ask her to elaborate.

"How long have you been with Lee and Mushi?"

"I'm not quite sure. I think just over five or six months?"

"So, you would say you know them pretty well?"

"I-I guess so. Why are you asking?"

There was a shift in the air and suddenly Jet grabbed Nava by the collar, dragging her into an alleyway and pinning her to the wall. The vase dropped to her feet, but miraculously did not break.

"So you know they're firebenders," Jet hissed. "You all are Fire Nation posing as refugees, aren't you?"

"Even if we were, what could we possibly gain from pretending to be refugees, Jet?" Nava said through gritted teeth. She placed her hands on his chest and shoved him backwards into the other wall. Putting her arm across his windpipe and pulling an arrow from her quiver, she pointed it at his eye. "If you ever grab me like that again, I'll cut your tongue off and shove it down your throat, do you understand me?"

A bead of sweat rolled down Jet's face. His eyes were alight with anger, but he nodded anyway.

Nava released him.

"Don't let me catch you around me or my family again," was all she said before she stooped and picked up the fallen vase, continuing on her way as though nothing had happened.

///

The apartment was quaint, which was just a nice way of saying tiny. There was a fair-sized living area/kitchen mix, which also doubled as a bedroom, judging by the cot in the corner. Through a sliding door was a smaller bedroom, with two sleeping mats and a trunk. There was no private bathroom – the entire apartment complex shared a communal bath area that supplied soaps and towels.

Setting the flowers on the counter beside a coal-burning stove, Nava inspected the cupboards. There were a few plates, cups, and bowls in one, and cutlery and spark rocks in another. A drawer beside the wash basin contained some rags and miscellaneous cooking items.

Taking off her bow, Nava set it on the other trunk in the other room and eased herself onto the cot. It was heavenly; she hadn't been on something so soft since her days in the Yuyan. She laid back on it and it didn't take more than ten minutes before she was out, sleeping deeper than she had in years.

Jet peered in the open window, spying Nava on the cot. She was on her stomach, face turned away from him and her back rising and falling steadily. He rapped softly on the windowsill and ducked out of sight. Upon not hearing any movement, he hoisted himself up and into the room. Tip-toeing past her, he opened one of the cupboards and snatched the spark rocks from their spot, dropping them into his pockets. As fast as he had come, he was gone, pulling up his collar as he stalked away from the apartment.

///

When Nava awoke, the sun was beginning to set. Iroh and Zuko were going to be home any time and she still needed to get things for dinner. Rubbing her eyes and stretching, she shook off the grogginess and left the apartment.

The marketplace wasn't as busy as it was earlier in the day, so getting ingredients didn't take very long.

Iroh and Zuko were already home when Nava got back with a bagful of potatoes, vegetables, and rice. Zuko was on the cot, arms folded over his chest and his face in a deep scowl. Iroh was standing over a boiling teapot.

"How was work?" she asked as she set the groceries on the counter and turned the tap on the washbasin on.

"Awful," Zuko said flatly.

"Fantastic!" Iroh said at the same time. "We go back to the teashop tomorrow morning. An old dream of mine is to own one someday."

"Well everyone's got to start somewhere. I'll stop by in the afternoon sometime for a cup."

///

The next morning, Nava did some cleaning around the apartment before making her way to the teashop.

Zuko looked absolutely miserable, but he seemed to perk up a bit when he noticed Nava. Iroh, however, was in his element.

"This is the best tea in the city!" a city officer was saying.

"The secret ingredient is love," Iroh said mystically.

As Zuko set down a fresh cup in front of Nava, the shop's door slammed open and Jet stomped in.

"I'm tired of waiting, these two men are firebenders!"

He jabbed a finger at Iroh and Zuko and unsheathed a pair of hook swords, getting into a fighting position.

"I know they are, I saw the old man heating his tea!"

"He works in a tea shop," an officer said.

"He's a firebender, I'm telling you!"

The group of guards got up from their seats.

"Alright, kid, drop your swords. Nic and easy."

Jet ignored them, turning to Zuko.

"You'll have to defend yourself, then everyone will know. Go ahead, show them what you can do."

The guards took a few steps toward them, but Zuko blocked their way. He grabbed a pair of broadswords from the guard and held one in each hand.

"You want a show? I'll give you a show."

He hooked his foot around one of the tables and pulled it towards him and then kicked it towards Jet, who sliced it in half with a quick swipe of his swords. He jumped over the table, swinging his blades at Zuko, who deflected them and leapt backwards onto another table. Jet cut the table in half again and Zuko balanced on one side, dodging another stab from the boy. He landed behind Jet and shoved him forward. Stumbling, Jet recovered quickly and dropped to the ground, sweeping his leg under Zuko's feet. The Prince avoided it, but Jet grabbed him by the throat and threw him onto the street.

Iroh and Nava clambered to follow them outside.

"You must be getting tired of using those swords," Jet taunted as his blades clashed with Zuko's. "Why don't you go ahead and firebend at me!"

"Please, son, you're confused!" Iroh called out. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Both teens ignored him and continued to fight. They were evenly matched for a while longer until Zuko caught Jet off-guard by swinging his swords in a horizontal motion. Jet bent backward far enough for the blades to cut his wheat straw in half, narrowly missing the tip of his nose.

Zuko took a step back as Jet regained his balance and jumped onto the ledge of a well.

"You see that?" he barked at the crowd that was watching them. "The Fire Nation is trying to silence me – it'll never happen!"

He hooked his swords around the beam of the well and used his momentum to launch himself at Zuko, who just barely got out of the way in time. They didn't carry on much longer before two robed men stepped out from the shadows.

"Drop your weapons!" one of them ordered.

Jet and Zuko stepped away from each other, the latter dropping his swords to the ground. Jet pointed to Zuko and Iroh.

"Arrest them. They're firebenders."

"This poor boy is confused," Iroh said. "We're just simple refugees."

The teashop owner stepped up beside Iroh, looking furious. He gestured to Jet.

"This young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees!"

"It's true, sir. We saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city," one of the city officers added.

Iroh's cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

The two robed men approached Jet.

"Come with us, son," the other said.

Jet swung his sword at them, but one of them caught it in the air with a rock-covered hand. They both disarmed him and forced him to his knees. They bound his hands behind his back with the rocks on their palms and dragged him towards a waiting wagon.

"You don't understand," Jet cried as they threw him into the back. "They're Fire Nation, you have to believe me!"

Suddenly feeling sick, Nava hugged her torso and looked away.

The crowd dispersed as the wagon pulled off and the tea shop owner put a hand on Iroh's shoulder.

"Take tonight and tomorrow off, the both of you," he said and turned to Zuko as he came up to them. "Thank you, Lee, for apprehending him. I don't want to think what he would have done if you weren't there."

Untying their aprons, the owner took them and waved the three of them off.

Back at the apartment, Nava shook her head.

"It's not fair," she said. "Jet wasn't even wrong. He didn't deserve to go to prison."

"We cannot afford to let people know we're Fire Nation," Iroh said sullenly. "As much as I dislike it too, there's nothing else we can do. We have to look after ourselves first."

Nava sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," she said quietly.

"Without dinner?"

"I'm not very hungry," was all she said before closing the door to her bedroom.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was one of the first parts i wrote for this story when i came up with the idea over two years ago, and i'm so excited to see it come to fruition. it's one of my favourite parts in the whole fic and i hope you enjoy it as much i do!!(the song featured in this chapter is wanderer's lullaby by adriana figueroa, i highly recommend listening to it!)

Tales of Ba Sing Se – The Tale of Nava: The Music Box

Nava roamed the merchant's district, mostly window-shopping and watching other people. She saw a woman feeding her child a treat from one stall, and a man haggling with the merchant at another. The stall that caught her eye was one that was a little smaller than the rest. It was nestled out of the way and was really just a table littered with trinkets of all sorts. She examined the items, her gaze eventually coming to rest on a small wooden box. She picked it up, carefully turning it over in her hands.

The box was a bit smaller than her palm, it was a deep red with white flower carvings covering it. On the back was a silver key.

"Excuse me," Nava said to the merchant. She held up the box. "How much for this?"

The man's face stretched into a kind smile.

"For you, three copper pieces."

As Nava fished through her pockets for the money, the man went on.

"That music box used to be my son's. He would play it every night before he went to sleep. He even took it with him when he went to fight in the war."

"Where is your son now?" Nava asked even though she was sure she already knew the answer.

"He never came back. This is all that's left of him."

"Are – are you sure I should take this? I don't want you to part with it if –"

"No, no, please, take it. My wife and I have no further use for it. Play it for your children and take good care of it. Please."

Nava nodded solemnly.

"Okay. Thank you very much, I'll treasure it forever," she handed over a silver piece.

The man looked at her in disbelief.

She merely smiled and bowed, walking away from the stall.

She hurried back to the apartment, hardly waiting until the door was closed before she started winding up the music box.

The tune that tinkled out was slow and calming; it was like a lone spring in the middle of a dense wood. The very sound of it made Nava feel at peace, so much so that she didn't even notice when the music had stopped. She wound it up again.

She never had things like music boxes growing up – the military frowned upon such material possessions. They said it took much-needed space. She'd snuck a stuffed animal into her barrack once and when her advisor found out, Nava was put on cleaning duty for two weeks instead of her regular training. Her hands had never been so cracked and dry before.

Zuko and Iroh returned in the early evening, the younger of the two looking extremely exhausted.

"Busy day?" Nava mused, pouring Iroh a cup of tea.

"You wouldn't believe it! People were lining up out the door!" Iroh exclaimed as Zuko plopped onto the cot.

"People must really love your tea," she glanced over at the Prince. "Are you tired, Zuko?"

He grunted in response, rolling over so his back to them.

Iroh strayed over to the window, spotting the music box Nava had set there hours before.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, picking it up and examining it.

"Earlier today. I was out for a walk by the shops and decided to buy it."

He turned the key and as the music played, Zuko suddenly sat up and looked around wildly.

"Where is that coming from?" he demanded. He zeroed in on the box in Iroh's hand.

"What's wrong?" Nava said, startled by his outburst.

Zuko quickly composed himself and shook his head.

"Never mind. I just know that song from somewhere."

Nava looked to Iroh with her brows furrowed and he shrugged, setting the music box back where he found it.

///

That night, while Nava was sleeping, the door to her room slid open and in stepped Zuko. He spared her a glance and stepped around her, approaching the music box on the trunk. He picked it up gingerly and stared at it.

It was almost identical to hers, right down to the design. The only difference was –

"Zuko?"

Zuko jumped, whipping around and hiding the box behind his back. Nava was sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

"What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep... I was just looking at the music box," he said.

"You seemed pretty upset when your uncle played it earlier... why is that?"

Zuko brought the toy from behind his back and looked down at it. He didn't answer for a long time.

"My mother had one just like this one. She would play it every night before bed for my sister and I," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. "The only difference between this one and hers was that the key on hers was chipped. Before she disappeared, she gave it to me so I could play it for my children when I had them."

"What happened to it?"

"I don't know. I went to bed one night and it was on my bedside table and when I woke up it was gone. I still remember the lyrics my mother sang when she played it."

"Can I hear them?"

Zuko glanced at Nava, then to the open door, where in the next room Iroh gave a great snore.

"Outside," he said, taking her by the hand and leading her to the window. They scaled the wall and sat facing each other on the roof. There was minimal light; the moon was only half full and the torches on the street didn't reach that high up.

Zuko turned the key with shaking hands. He'd never sang for anyone before – not that he sang much anyway. He'd heard Nava sing to herself and she was great, so what if she laughed at him? By this point, the key wouldn't turn anymore. He released it and let the tune play through once before shakily singing the lyrics:

"There are those who'll tell you you're wrong,

They will try to silence your song,

But right here is where you belong,

So, don't search anymore."

Nava felt his fingertips brush hers and a jolt of electricity shot up her arm. He took her hand in his as they stared at each other.

"You are the dawn of a new day that's waking,

A masterpiece still in the making..."

He held their hands up, pressing their palms together.

"...The blue in an ocean of grey

You are right where you need to be,

Poised to inspire and to succeed."

Their fingers folded over.

"Soon you'll finally find your own way."

They held their gaze as the box tinkered the last few notes, then came to a stop.

In the darkness, they could see tears glistening in the other's eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

Nava stood in the backroom of the tea shop, scrubbing dishes. In the last week or so, business at the shop exploded and Pao, the owner, needed all hands on deck. They barely had enough cups for the amount of patrons coming and going.

She was halfway through a stack of dishes when Iroh came into the back, looking delighted.

"I've just been offered my own tea shop in the upper ring!" he said excitedly. "You and Zuko are my first employees!"

"So we don't work here anymore?" Nava asked and Iroh shook his head.

She dropped the cup she was walking in the washbasin and dried her hands off on her apron. Then she untied it and set it on the counter.

"Good timing, I'm pretty sure my fingers are permanently pruned."

She followed Iroh outside, bidding a tearful Pao farewell, and made their way back to their apartment.

They packed their things as soon as they got home, Iroh muttering to himself about shop names.

"How about Dragon's Breath Tea?" he asked Nava before promptly shaking his head. "Never mind, that doesn't sound as good out loud."

The front door opened and Zuko came in, holding a rolled-up piece of paper.

"How about the Jasmine Dragon?" Iroh said to both teenagers. "It's dramatic, poetic, has a nice ring to it."

"Oh, that sounds good," Nava nodded.

"The Avatar's in Ba Sing Se," Zuko said, holding out a leaflet to his uncle. "And he's lost his bison."

Iroh took the paper and examined it with a frown. Nava peered over his shoulder. Sure enough,

"We have a chance for a new life here," he said. "If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening to us."

Zuko rounded on Iroh, looking irritated.

"Good things that are happening for you! Have you ever thought that maybe I want more from a life than a nice apartment serving tea?" he snapped.

"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity, Prince Zuko," Iroh said. "I suggest you think about what it is that you want for your life, and why."

Zuko turned his back to them.

"I want my destiny."

"What that means is up to you," Iroh said, setting the poster on the counter. "But do not think of only yourself, you are not the only one who is affected by your choices."

"I'm going for a walk," Zuko huffed and left the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

"I'll go with him," Nava said, following Zuko out the door and seeing his retreating figure up the street.

She jogged to catch up to him and when she did, he shot her a glare.

"Did he send you to talk to me?"

"No, I came on my own. I want to walk with you."

They walked in silence, turning down random streets, eventually finding themselves in a greenspace area, with kids and their parents lounging about. Zuko sat on a bench under a tree and Nava sat beside him, watching a group of children play tag.

"What do you want to do with your life?" he asked her. "Do you want to run a tea shop with my uncle and collect a modest paycheque?"

"Not particularly, but what else am I going to do?" she shrugged. "My entire life has been me moving from place to place; maybe it's time to hunker down and have a proper life for a bit. I'll probably miss the adventure after a while and that's when I'll return to wandering."

"Why don't you come with me? To capture the Avatar, return to the Fire Nation. I'll have you excused from your crimes and you can reinstate yourself as a Yuyan Agent."

"Zuko, capturing the Avatar isn't my mission, if that's something you think is your destiny, then you need to do that yourself."

"What do you mean, if I think? I know it is!"

"Are you sure? Are you sure that isn't someone else's burden put on your shoulders? Do you really want to do this, or are you just desperate for your father's approval?"

Zuko ran his hands through his hair.

"I want to do this. I need to do this. I'm going to go tonight and try to find the bison, are you coming?"

Nava shook her head.

"Someone's got to cover for you when your uncle asks where you are."

He smiled at that and got to his feet, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead.

"I owe you one. I'll see you later tonight."

"Where are you going? You're going to go in broad daylight?"

"No, I'm going to get my Blue Spirit uniform. I rented a storage locker the week after we got here and put everything in there. I'm going to get it and then gather some intel before I go. I'll see you and uncle tonight, or tomorrow morning at the earliest."

"Okay," Nava said softly. "Good luck Prince Zuko."

///

Iroh was trimming the flowerbed outside their front window when Nava returned.

"Where is Zuko?" he asked her.

"He wanted to spend some time alone," she took a deep breath before carrying on. "He rented out a storage locker right after we got here and put his Blue Spirit uniform and his swords in it. He plans on finding out where the Avatar's bison is hidden and doing... something with it. He won't go until tonight but I'm afraid that if he does get the bison he'll make the wrong choices and..."

"Nava!" Iroh said loudly. "I have an inkling of an idea of where he could be going. There is an underground fortress beneath Lake Laogai. Men that were captured during my siege were taken there and put under psychological duress, some of them were forced to retire after they got out. I wouldn't put it past the government to use it to hide the Avatar's bison in there."

"Wait, you don't think he's actually missing?'

"No, the Earth King is a weak ruler, I've heard mumblings in the tea shop from city guards that the Dai Li runs everything. The leader, Long Feng, is the one that makes all the important decisions, and he would want the Avatar in the city for as long as possible."

"Do you know how to get to Lake Laogai?"

Iroh nodded, setting his cup of tea down on the counter.

"We'll go after dinner, make sure you have comfortable running shoes."

///

After a tense dinner of potatoes and some fried duck, Nava dressed in her black clothing and pinned her hair back. She pulled the neck of her shirt over her nose and slung her bow across her back. Iroh was on his fourth cup of tea, practising some breathing exercises he said he picked up from the airbenders. Once the full moon was high in the sky, Iroh gave Nava the right of way.

They stuck to the sparsely lit streets, sneaking through tollbooths and eventually made it outside walls. It was a bit of a walk from there, but they didn't need to take backroads.

Lake Laogai was seemingly in the middle of nowhere, in the centre of a ring of hills. There were no guards, which was odd to Nava. She and Iroh found their way in through an exposed tunnel.

The hallways were expansive – nearly twice the size of Appa. They went down a series of twists and turns, passing cages, doors with people screaming behind them, and a chorus of similar-looking women chanting 'My name is Joo Dee'. The whole thing made the hair stand up on Nava's neck.

Peeking down a corridor, Iroh nodded for Nava to follow.

"I think I heard him down here."

They went a way down the hallway, coming to stop in front of a huge metal door that was cracked open.

"You're mine now," came Zuko's voice.

Iroh and Nava stepped into the cell and shut the door behind them. Zuko whirled, swords raised to attack.

"Uncle?" he said, lowering his swords.

"So, the infamous Blue Spirit," Iroh said, tugging on his beard. "I wonder who is behind the mask."

In response, Zuko removed the mask and looked between his uncle and Nava.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. Nava told me everything, and what do you plan to do once you get the Avatar's bison out of here? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I get a pot of tea ready for him?"

"I just need to get it out of here."

"And then what?!" Iroh yelled, his voice echoing in the room. Nava took a step back. She had never seen him angry like that before. "You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened at the North Pole: you had the Avatar and then you had no where to go!"

"I would have figured something out!" Zuko shot back.

"No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!"

The Prince turned back to face Appa.

"I know my own destiny, uncle."

"Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else as forced upon you?"

"Stop it, uncle. I have to do this."

"I'm begging you, Prince Zuko," Iroh pleaded. "It's time for you to look within yourself and begin asking the big questions: who are you? And what do you want?"

Zuko was still for a second before crying out in frustration. He threw his swords and mask to the ground. With his face in his hands, he sighed.

"Help me unchain it. We need to get it out of here before someone finds us. We'll leave it outside where the Avatar can find it himself."

Relief crossed Iroh's face.

Nava went towards one of the shackles around Appa's leg.

"Hi, Appa," she said soothingly. "We're going to get you out of here, okay? We'll get you back to Aang."

The bison growled in response but didn't try to attack her as she knelt and used her arrow to pick the lock.

Once they got all six shackles off, Iroh led Appa out of the cell while Zuko and Nava kept watch.

They made it outside substantially quicker the second time around, emerging from the tunnel they entered through. There was a fight going on – Dai Li agents versus the Avatar and his friends. Appa broke away from the trio, hurtling through a wall of rock. Nava watched as he took one of the agents by the leg and tossed him into the lake.

After a brief reunion, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and the same girl in green piled onto Appa and took off back towards the city.

Zuko, Nava, and Iroh came out of the tunnel, Iroh resting a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"You did the right thing, Zuko," he said proudly. Zuko held up his Blue Spirit mask and stared at the face for a long time. "Leave it behind."

Zuko walked to the edge of the lake and dropped it into the water. He watched it sink into the depths before turning back and brushing past his uncle. He went right up to Nava and hugged her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck. She returned his embrace, patting his back a few times before he released her.

"I'm proud of you, Prince Zuko," she whispered.


	16. Chapter 16

Zuko was looking extremely pale by the time they got back to their apartment.

"You did the right thing, letting the Avatar's bison go free," Iroh said as they entered.

"I don't... feel right..." Zuko said feebly. He stumbled forward a step before falling to the ground, taking a vase down with him. 

The porcelain shattered as Zuko's head hit the floor.

"Zuko!" Iroh gasped, rushing to his nephew's side. He put a hand on his forehead and looked to Nava. "He's got a fever. Get a bucket of cold water and a cloth, I'll put him on the bed."

Nava snatched the bucket from the counter and left the apartment. She dashed to the well up the street and pumped water into the container.

Zuko was on the cot when she returned. She knelt beside Iroh, dunked and wrung out the cloth, and handed it to him. He folded it and laid it across Zuko's forehead.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked worriedly.

"He's gone against his entire personal code by freeing the bison. His brain couldn't handle it and it essentially sent him into a meltdown. He's at war within himself, and whichever side wins will show his true values and desires."

"How long will that take?"

"As long as it needs to. I suppose the Jasmine Dragon will have to wait."

"No, you can go get the shop set up and get our apartment in order and I'll stay here with him," Nava said. "He doesn't need two people watching over him."

Iroh gave her a meaningful look before gazing down at his nephew.

"He cares deeply for you, you know," he said. "I believe that if he can't see the right way himself, he will look to you for guidance. Please help him to make the right choice."

"I'll do as much as I can, I swear it."

"I'll leave in the morning. Get some rest, it's going to be a long day tomorrow."

///

Iroh woke Nava up right after dawn.

"I'm taking a wagon to the upper ring to see the shop. I'll be back sometime this evening," he said as Nava shuffled into the main area, biting back a yawn. "If Zuko wakes up, give him some water and offer him something to eat; it's okay if he doesn't but make sure he drinks something. This isn't a regular sickness, so doctors won't be able to do much about it. This is something he needs to work through on his own, but that doesn't mean we can't help him along."

"He's in good hands, Iroh," Nava said. "Have fun today and don't worry too much."

With a final glance at his nephew, Iroh left the apartment, leaving Nava and Zuko in silence. 

She made herself a pot of tea and sipped from her cup as she did housework; sweeping, dusting, cleaning some dishes. She hummed to herself work songs from the Yuyan.

Zuko didn't do much until the early afternoon.

Nava was replacing the string on her bow when she heard him groan.

She knelt at his side and offered him a cup of water.

"You've got a bad fever," she told him. "Your uncle went to the new tea shop this morning and left me with you."

Snatching the cup from her hand, Zuko downed the water and then grabbed the bucket, pouring it into his mouth but also dumping half of it down his front. He tossed the empty container away before curling back up under his blanket, letting out a few feeble coughs. Nava pushed his bangs out of his eyes and returned the cloth to his forehead.

"I'm going to go get some more water," she told the unconscious boy. "Don't die while I'm gone, please, I don't know how I'd explain that to your uncle."

///

When Iroh returned in the evening, Zuko stirred for a second time. Nava was wiping the sweat from his brow when he woke with a gasp.

Iroh sat on his knees beside him and poured a cup of tea.

"You should know this is not a normal sickness, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying tea," he supported Zuko's head as he sipped it.

"What... what's happening?"

"Your critical decision, what you did beneath the lake... it was in such contradiction with the image you have of yourself, that you are now at war within your own mind and body."

"What does that mean?" Zuko asked before going into a coughing fit.

"You're going through a major change, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience, but you will come out of it the beautiful Prince you were always meant to be."

Zuko rolled onto his side and pulled his blanket up to his chin, falling into a deep sleep a moment later.

"I'll stay with him tonight," Nava said. "You can sleep in the other room."

"Are you sure?" Iroh asked worriedly.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

He patted her shoulder as he got to his feet.

"Wake me if you need to switch off," he said. "Thank you, Nava."

She smiled at him as the door to the bedroom slid shut and she looked down at Zuko. She ran her fingers through his hair and softly sang the lyrics to the music box she'd gotten weeks ago.

Nava didn't know what time she dozed off, but she woke up when Zuko did with a shout. She jolted into a sitting position, glancing around wildly before settling on him. He had his hand pressed to his scar, his eyes closed.

She took his hand from his face and squeezed it. He looked over at her in surprise.

"Have you been here the whole time?" he asked in a hoarse voice. He didn't react as she felt his face with her other hand.

"The whole time," she confirmed, dropping her hand from his forehead. "Your fever's broke. Are you hungry?"

He shook his head. Looking down at their intertwined fingers, he brought her hand to his scar, resting it over his eye. 

"Three years ago, my father gave me this scar and banished me from my home," he said quietly. "My uncle came with me, even though he didn't have to. I met you and you tagged along, even though I didn't want you to. You could have left at any time, whenever you got fed up with me and my far-fetched dream. But you didn't. You stayed, you always chose to stay."

He pulled her hand away and stared into her eyes; light brown with speckles of green. A faint blush covered her cheeks. A strand of hair fell across her forehead, curling slightly at the end. He examined her, wanting to memorize every single detail of her face.

Then he found himself leaning in, eyes drifting closed as their lips brushed. Nava felt her heartbeat in her throat. The kiss was hardly even that, but they pulled back and pressed their foreheads together, eyes still closed.

"I'll stay as long as you'll have me," she breathed.

She opened her eyes and he was already looking at her. He smiled.

///

A few days later, the three outlaws moved to their new apartment within the upper ring. They each had their own bedroom, a balcony, and a full kitchen that Iroh immediately made a meal called jook in. It was the morning of the grand-opening of the Jasmine Dragon, a special occasion, he said as he served Nava a bowl of the white paste.

She was halfway done when Zuko came out of his bedroom. He sniffed the air.

"What's that smell?" he asked, coming up to Nava and kissing the crown of her head when Iroh's back was turned.

"It's jook," said his uncle. "I'm sure you wouldn't like it."

Zuko peered over his shoulder at the pot.

"Actually, it smells delicious. I'd love a bowl." 

Nava made a face at that. Zuko was such a picky eater that it was laughable.

"Now that your fever is gone, you seem different somehow," Iroh said suspiciously, but still ladled some of the jook into a bowl for him.

"It's a new day!" Zuko said happily. "We've got a new apartment, new furniture, and today's the grand opening of your new tea shop. Things are looking up, Uncle."

He sat beside Nava and smiled at her. She returned it after a moment's hesitation.

That afternoon, the three of them stood outside of the Jasmine Dragon. A fountain babbled at the base of a short staircase, an ornamental dragon inviting patrons into the shop.

Zuko put an arm around Nava and Iroh.

"Congratulations, Uncle," he said.

"I'm very thankful." Iroh said sincerely. "Thankful that you both decided to share this day with me. It means more than you know."

Zuko removed his arm from Nava's shoulders to hug his uncle tightly.

"Now let's make these people some tea," he said a moment later.

"Yes!" Iroh said eagerly. "Let's make some tea!"

It didn't take long for the shop to fill up. People were coming faster than they could brew tea. Nava stuck mostly to clearing tables and escorting guests to tables while Zuko took orders and poured refills. Iroh stayed in the back, overseeing the brewing. 

Nava was sweeping the front step during a lull in business when she heard a very familiar voice.

"What do you say Momo, a cup of tea before we get back to the King?"

Nava and Katara saw each other at the same time. Realization dawned in the latter's eyes as Zuko's voice drifted out of the shop.

"Go," Nava mouthed to Katara. "I won't tell."

The Water Tribe girl didn't need telling twice and she was gone a second later, the flying lemur trailing behind her. 

Zuko came up behind Nava.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Everything's fine," Nava said brightly. "Just in awe of everything that's happened in the last couple days."

///

The rest of the day was over in a flash. Nava was cleaning up the backroom while Zuko wiped down tables and Iroh swept. A man came in dressed in official-looking clothing, brandishing a rolled-up piece of paper and holding it out to Iroh.

"A message from the royal palace," he said.

A chill ran down Nava's spine as Iroh took the letter. The man bowed and left the tea shop. 

"I... I can't believe it." Iroh gasped.

"What is it?" Zuko asked, walking over to his uncle.

"Great news! We've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King!"

Iroh turned and hurried into the backroom to where Nava was, rummaging through a drawer for ink and a brush.

"Congratulations, Iroh," Nava said warmly. "You really deserve it."

"Thank you, Nava," he said. "This is one of the greatest days of my life."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wonder how long that feeling with last iroh :^) these next chapters are going to be a doozy. i hope you're emotionally prepared because i'm not. it's gonna be a good time


	17. Chapter 17

The Earth Kingdom palace was just as grand as Nava thought it would be. Earthy tones contrasted with gold embellishments glittered in the sun.

"Of all the times I imagined myself here, I always thought it would be as a conqueror... instead, here we are, the Earth King's personal guests, to serve him tea. Destiny is a funny thing."

"It sure is, Uncle," Zuko said cheerfully. He looked over at Nava, who was staring up at the palace doors; large, ornate, stone goliaths. He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She returned it timidly. His gaze wandered to her back. "Was it really necessary to bring your bow? What if they confiscate it?"

"Then I'll cry, so hopefully they won't. It's like my safety blanket."

Iroh shushed them as they came up to the doors. A butler greeted them when they knocked. He bowed deeply and introduced himself as Shang. He escorted them to a large room overlooking the garden within the courtyard. Nava noticed a bead of sweat on his brow.

"The Earth King will be with you shortly," he said before ducking out of the room.

The air in the sitting area was thick, Nava noted as she looked around. The windows were locked, there were no vents within reach, so the only way out was the door they came in, which struck her as odd.

They waited for five minutes.

Then fifteen.

Then thirty.

"What's taking so long?" Zuko asked after forty-five minutes.

"Maybe the Earth King overslept," Iroh said with a shrug.

Less than a minute passed before a group of Dai Li agents entered and surrounded their table. 

"Something's not right..." Zuko muttered.

"It's tea time," came a cold voice.

The Prince immediately got to his feet.

"Azula!" he spat.

"Have you met the Dai Li?" she went on as though he hadn't spoken. "They're earthbenders but they have a killer instinct that is so... firebender. I just love it!" she looked to Nava. "Oh, and you're still travelling with the Yuyan girl. How classy."

Iroh poured himself a cup of tea.

"Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname the Dragon of the West?" he said.

"I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle," Azula said, examining her nails.

"It's more of a demonstration, really." Iroh took a sip of his drink and Zuko suddenly grabbed Nava, pulling her towards the ground and using his body to shield her.

As soon as they hit the floor, Iroh opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of fire upon the Dai Li.

"Let's go!" Zuko shouted, getting to his feet and pulling Nava along. He shot a blast of fire through the wall and dashed out to the hallway, followed closely by his uncle. 

Two of the Dai Li ran after them, extending their hands and sending the finger pieces of their rock gloves towards them. The trio turned the corner before they could hit and the rocks were embedded in the wall.

They ran until they came to a dead end and, gesturing for them to stand back, Iroh summoned a bolt of lightning and shot it through the wall. He jumped out before the smoke cleared, landing painfully on a hedge.

"Come on!" he called out to Zuko and Nava. "You'll be fine!"

Zuko glanced behind him and then back at Nava. Without warning, he shoved her out of the hole and turned away.

"I'm tired of running," he said. "I'm going to find Azula!"

Nava swore under her breath and turned to Iroh.

"Should we go after him?"

"No, his fight with his sister is his own –"

Iroh cut himself off, staring up at the sky. Nava followed his gaze and spotted Appa in the air, flying away from the palace.

"I know where we can go," he said and took off towards the rock wall surrounding the garden.

They didn't get very far before a Dai Li agent jumped down in front of them, landing in an earthbending stance. Without a second thought, Nava grabbed her bow, notched an arrow, and shot it at his forehead, where it hit the emblem on his headband, the momentum knocking him backwards and unconscious.

"He'll have info," Nava said, picking up the fallen arrow and replacing it in her quiver. She slung her bow over her back, knelt down, and hoisted the agent across her shoulders. "Let's go."

"That was... impressive."

"I'm trained to kill, you and Zuko seem to forget that. So where are we going?"

The place they were going, turns out, was the house the Avatar and his friends were staying in. Iroh knocked on the door once before the girl in green threw it open. Nava nudged the Dai Li agent with her foot.

"Look alive, you're about to become useful," she said. He stirred slightly, struggling against the restraints Iroh tied around his hands. His words were muffled by a gag.

"Glad to see you're okay," the girl said.

"I need your help."

"You guys know each other!?" Aang said.

"I met him in the woods once and knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and very good advice." 

"Wait, aren't you the one that tracked us down after we took that waterbending scroll?" Sokka asked as Nava came to stand beside Iroh.

"Yeah that was me. Nice to see you again," she said casually. "Do you still have the scroll?"

"No, we gave it to an ancient owl that tried to kill us."

"Never a dull moment with you guys, hey?"

"It has its ups and downs."

"Princess Azula is in the city," Iroh cut in.

"She must have Katara," Aang said.

"She has captured my nephew as well."

"Then we'll work together to fight Azula, and save Katara and Zuko."

"I'm sorry, but you lost me at Zuko," Sokka said flatly.

"I know how you feel about my nephew. But believe me when I say there is good inside him."

"Inside of him isn't enough. Come back when it's in his outside, too."

"Sokka, Katara is in trouble. All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. We have a better chance of saving it if we all work together," Aang reasoned.

His resolve breaking, Sokka nodded grudgingly. 

"I brought someone who might be able to help us," Iroh said, stepping back and allowing the crew to see the Dai Li agent.

Using her earthbending, the blind girl brought up two stone pillars to hold him in place. Iroh pulled down the gag in his mouth.

"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup. They're planning to overthrow the Earth King," he said quickly.

"My sister!" Sokka spat. "Where are they keeping Katara?" he jabbed his machete at his face.

"In the crystal catacombs of old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace."

The five of them heard all they needed to, and they left the agent to make their way back to the palace.

They arrived in record time. Standing outside the palace walls, the blind girl earthbent a small crater in the ground.

"We should split up," Sokka said. "Aang, you, Iroh, and Nava go look for Katara and the angry jerk... no offense."

"None taken," Iroh and Nava said simultaneously.

"And I'll go with Toph to warn the Earth King about Azula's coup."

Aang and Sokka exchanged brief nods of well-being before they went their separate ways. Iroh used his firebending to light the way as Aang tunneled down using his earthbending.

"So..." the Avatar said after a period of silence. "Toph says you give pretty good advice... and great tea."

"The secret to both is proper aging. What's on your mind?" Iroh said.

Aang takes a deep breath, deepens the tunnel, then continued on,

"I met up with this Guru a while back who was supposed to help me master the Avatar State. But in order for me to master it fully, I had to let go of someone I love, and I just couldn't do it."

"Perfection and power are overrated," Iroh said. "I think you are very wise to choose happiness and love."

"But what happens if we can't save everyone and beat Azula? What if I'm not powerful enough because I can't master the Avatar State?"

"I don't know the answer to that. Sometimes life is dark like this tunnel: you can't always see the light at the end, but if you just keep moving that much farther..."

With a final push, Aang earthbent a wall of rocks out of the way and greenish light filtered into the tunnel.

"You will come to a better place," Iroh finished.

Nava spotted Zuko and Katara standing a few feet away from each other.

"Aang!" Katara exclaimed, rushing forward to hug him.

Nava ran up to Zuko and threw her arms around him.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said into his shoulder. She stepped back as Iroh embraced him.

"Just what are you two doing with the Avatar!" Zuko said angrily once they finished their reunion.

"Saving you, that's what." Aang said coldly.

His upper lip curling, Zuko lunged for him, but his uncle caught him by the collar before he could get too far.

"Zuko, it's time we had a talk," he said. "Go help your other friends and we'll catch up with you."

Aang clasped his hands and bowed before returning to the tunnel, Katara following close behind.

Once they were gone, Zuko spoke,

"Why, Uncle?" he said in a small voice.

"Nephew, you are not the man you used to be. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you've ever been. And now you've come to your crossroads of destiny. You have a choice to make, and I think it's time for you to choose good."

Zuko closed his eyes as he thought about what Iroh said. 

Before he could make a decision, Nava felt a tremor in the ground. Losing her footing, she stumbled backwards. A trail of crystals shot up from the ground, effectively trapping Iroh. Nava managed to avoid them, and ducked behind a wall, readying her bow for what else was to come.

Azula and two Dai Li agents descended from an opening near the ceiling and landed in front of Zuko. He stood between his sister and his uncle. Between good and evil.

"I expected this sort of treachery from Uncle, but Zuko, Prince Zuko? You're not a traitor, are you?" Azula said, feigning hurt.

"You release him immediately!" Zuko barked.

"You can still redeem yourself, Zuko. It's not too late."

"The redemption she offers you is not what you want!" Iroh said.

"Why don't you let him decide that, Uncle?" Azula said, her voice flaring up in annoyance. She quickly composed herself. "I need you by my side, Zuko. I've planned every move of this day, and in every plan, every instance, you're with me. I can't do this without you. If you choose to, you'll have your honour back. You'll have father's love. You'll have everything you've been denied of for three years."

"Zuko, please, I am begging you. Look inside your heart and see what it is that you truly want."

Zuko hung his head, closing his eyes and trying to come to an ultimatum.

"I'll give you time to decide," Azula said, signalling to the Dai Li agents to leave. She didn't follow them, instead choosing to exit through the tunnel Aang and Katara did.

Nava emerged from her hiding spot.

"Zuko..." she started, but he held up a hand to silence her.

"Do you remember that day I left you to travel alone, Uncle?" he said. "Do you remember what I said?"

"You said we no longer had anything to gain by travelling together," Iroh said.

Nava felt her heart sink.

"That's what I think now," the Prince said. "It's time for me to fulfill my destiny."

He turned to Nava, who had tears welling in her eyes. He looked away a second later, a lump forming in his throat.

"Nava –"

"Don't," she said acidly. "You've dug your grave. Now lie in it."

He had the audacity to give her a wounded look and she nearly punched him. Zuko bowed his head before turning and leaving the way Azula did. 

Nava went towards Iroh, pulling at the crystals to try and break them, but he stopped her.

"Follow him," he said sadly. "I'll catch up. Just follow him."

She stared at the general for a long time. Eventually she nodded.

"We'll make it out of here," she said. "All three of us. Together. I swear it."

Then she turned and ran into the tunnel, a new fire in her chest.

The fight was already in full swing by the time Nava got to it. No one seemed to notice her, so she climbed the wall again, finding a perch across from a waterfall that Katara was using to fend off Dai Li agents.

Nava got onto one knee and nocked an arrow. Taking a deep breath and focusing her energy, she let the arrow fly. It sunk into the Dai Li agent's throat and he fell forward, moving no longer. Stunned, Katara looked up to where the arrow came from and spotting Nava, she used her waterbending to dislodge the arrow from the agent and sent it back to her. Nava repeated the process with Katara, the two making a good team until things got overwhelming.

There were so many, Nava was coming to realize. For every one she killed, three more would take his place. She kept to the shadows as much as possible and it seemed to be effective; no one could figure out where the arrows were coming from. 

Eventually, Aang locked himself in a rock dome and everything was still for a moment before a burst of bright blue light erupted from the fortress. From it rose Aang, his eyes and tattoos glowing the same blue colour. A halo of air was surrounding him, joined by a ring of rocks and water.

Then time slowed down as a flash of lightning lit up the area and then Aang was falling towards the ground, his body returning to its normal state. Distantly, Nava heard Katara scream. She summoned a huge wave of water that washed away the Dai Li agents and Zuko. She took Aang in her arms and held him, muttering something.

As Princess Azula and Prince Zuko advanced on them, a blast of fire blocked their way. Iroh landed between them and got into a battle stance.

"You need to get out of here!" he yelled at Katara. "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

Nava grabbed another arrow, aiming it for Azula's temple when she felt someone's presence behind her. She looked over her shoulder, coming to face a Dai Li agent.

"Hello there," he said, holding up a broken half of one of her arrows.

Before she could even raise her hands to defend herself, the arrowhead was buried into her right eye socket. Nava's vision went red and her skull burned with white-hot pain. Dazed, she brought her hand to her eye and felt it and drawing back, she saw the blood. And then she fell, down, down towards the rocks below. 

She was unconscious before she hit the ground. 

///

Zuko didn't see her fall. In fact, he hadn't seen her since the battle started. He hoped for her sake that she got out and got as far as she could from the city. From him.

They were in the Earth King's throne room, Azula lounging on the main chair while Zuko stood beside her.

Then, a Dai Li agent entered and approached the Princess, kneeling at the bottom of the stairs.

"Your Highness, we've found the archer travelling with your uncle," he said.

"Bring her in," Azula said, sitting up in her seat.

Zuko's heart was in his throat. He didn't like the way Azula glanced at him.

Two more Dai Li agents came into the room. Nava was being held up between them, her legs dragging uselessly on the floor. There was blood dripping from her face, leaving coin sized dollops on the pristine marble floor. They came to a stop beside the first agent and one of them took her by the chin and forced her to look up.

The sight almost made Zuko vomit.

Nava's right eye was completely mutilated. Something that looked like her own arrow was embedded in it. 

Nava, to Zuko's horror, still appeared to be awake. She was staring up at him with her uninjured eye. There was nothing in her stare; just blankness. 

He looked away.

"What would you like to be done with her, Princess?"

Azula pretended to mull it over for a while, tapping her chin thoughtfully with a perfectly manicured fingernail. 

"What do you think, Zuko?" she asked her brother. She almost laughed at the array of emotions in his eyes.

"I don't care," he said though a clenched jaw.

"Take her onto the prisoner's boat. Have that wound cleaned and dressed and keep her in the infirmary until she wakes up. Then, put her in a cell away from my uncle."

"As you wish, your Highness." 

The Dai Li agents bowed, and Nava was dragged out. Zuko let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Don't look so relieved, Zuzu. I'm not doing this for you. I'm curious to see what Father will do with a traitorous military agent," Azula couldn't help but smile at the look of rage that crossed her brother's face. "You should go and get some rest. It's going to be a long trip back to the Fire Nation."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	18. Chapter 18

_**12 years ago** _

 

"Colonel Shinu, are you sure recruiting children from foreign Kingdoms is wise? What if they've already got misconceptions about the Fire Nation?"

"They're not misconceptions if they're true, Commander." Shinu said dismissively. "This is our chance to show these kids that the Fire Nation is more than a war-mongering country. The ones that don't fall into place will slip between the cracks anyway."

Commander Zhao pursed his lips but didn't say anything else.

The orphanage they went to was located an hour outside of Ba Sing Se, in a small village that had more cattle than people. The citizens watched in apprehension as Shinu and Zhao passed, flanked by a few soldiers. The woman who ran the orphanage was in her early twenties and went by the name Mari. She had a baby rested on her hip when she opened the door.

"Oh, Colonel Shinu, you're early," she said. "Excuse the mess, I didn't think you would be here for another few hours."

"The weather was better than we thought it would be. And no worries, kids never stay clean for long, do they?"

Mari smiled weakly.

"Of course. Come in, the children are just finishing breakfast."

The 'orphanage', if it could be called that, was really just a house renovated to accommodate the twelve kids that lived there. The youngest one looked to be an infant, and the oldest was thirteen or fourteen.

"Kids!" Mari announced, snapping her fingers to get their attention. "We have some men here from the Fire Nation to visit. Please be on your best behaviour or there will be no dessert with supper."

The kids were silent for a moment before resuming their play.

Shinu stood with Zhao close to the entrance of the house, observing.

One boy, probably no older than six came up to him, tugging curiously on his pant leg.

Shinu glanced down at him, smiling in what he hoped was a friendly way. The boy stared back before raising his arms to be picked up. Shinu obliged him, holding him with one arm.

"And what's your name?" he asked.

"Tano," the boy said.

"What a unique name. I'm Lao, and this is my friend Zhao."

"Lao and Zhao," Tano said with a small smile. "It rhymes!"

"That it does," Shinu said, setting the boy back down.

Tano wandered off to a pile of building blocks, seemingly forgetting about everything else.

Twenty minutes after they got there, Shinu decided there was no one he was particularly interested in.

Except one.

He spotted a short brown-haired girl sitting by the window, absentmindedly doodling on a chalk slate.

Left-handed, he noticed.

"What about her, by the window?" he said to Mari.

"That's Nava, she's been here since she was about two or three," Mari said before shaking her head sadly. "Her parents were killed by a gang in Ba Sing Se. The father had been selling things in the Black Market and owed some debts to the wrong people. They came to collect one day and killed his wife. He died trying to get Nava to safety. The gang left her to die but officers found her a few hours later and brought her here."

Shinu approached Nava and squatted beside her.

"What are you drawing?" he asked.

The girl pointed out the window at a tree with a wooden swing tied to it. Shinu peered at the drawing and hummed.

"That looks great. What's your name?"

"Nava."

"That's a pretty name. I'm Lao," he said. "How old are you Nava?"

"Six."

"Wow! I thought you were older, like thirty or something! Are you sure you're not thirty?"

The corners of her mouth quirked upwards as she looked up from her slate.

"I'm sure," she said. "I'm six!"

Shinu let out a low whistle.

"You could have fooled me. What do you like to do for fun?"

"I like to play outside. I like playing tag and catch."

"Are you a fast runner?"

"Yep! I'm the fastest kid here!" Nava said proudly.

"Do you like it here?"

"Sometimes. I get bored because all the kids my age say they're too old to play tag with me. I get lonely sometimes, too."

"Lonely how?"

Nava shrugged.

"Just... lonely."

"I get that feeling sometimes too." Shinu paused. "How would you feel if I asked you if you wanted to come with me, where I can find kids your age that like to play tag and catch?"

Her eyes lit up.

"Really? Where?"

"It's a long boat ride away, back in the Fire Nation. But you can live with me and you can have whatever you wanted."

"Like dessert for breakfast?"

"If you wanted, sure. You'll have your own room, a big bed, and lots of toys to play with."

Nava could hardly contain her joy as she leapt up and her slate fell with a clatter at her feet.

"When can we go?" she asked.

"As soon as we get some papers signed and get your things packed. Do you want to do that while I do the boring stuff?"

"Yeah! I'll be right back, okay? Don't go anywhere!"

She ran off to a hallway at the back of the room and rounded the corner. Shinu stood up and straightened out his uniform.

"What will the Fire Lord think when you've adopted a child instead of recruiting for your regiment?" Zhao said from behind him.

Shinu turned to face him and tried to hide the look of contempt that crossed his features.

"She's too young to start training. I'm not going to put her back in some orphanage after taking her out of this one," he said shortly.

"But must she stay with you?"

"She's definitely not staying with you."

"Please," Zhao scoffed. "I don't want a little runt like that running around. All I'm saying is you will have some convincing to do with Fire Lord Azulon."

Shinu brushed past Zhao without another word and approached the caretaker.

About an hour later, Nava was waving her friends goodbye.

"Are you ready to go, little one?" Shinu asked her.

Nava looked over her shoulder at him and nodded, before following him onto a waiting coach.

_**3 weeks later** _

Nava's eyes opened with a start, and she rocketed into a sitting position, glancing around the room frantically. From the pale moonlight that peered in through the open window, she remembered that she was back in Shinu's home, in her own bedroom, in her own bed. Her pulse returned to its normal state and she laid back down. Upon closing her eyes, the image of her nightmare; a grisly monster with blood dripping from its fangs reaching out to her, popped back into her head.

Nava got out of her bed, the cold marble floor grounding her as she shuffled across it. She opened her door as quietly as she could and stepped out into the hallway, which was dimly lit with torches that were nearing the end of their wicks.

She padded down the corridor, remembering where Shinu said his bedroom was. She came to the oak doors with golden handles and knocked on it. There was no answer, so she cracked open the door and peeked in. The room was dark, and Nava could hear faint snoring.

She tip-toed in and went up to Shinu's bedside, nudging his arm slightly. He inhaled deeply before his eyes opened slowly, squinting at Nava.

"Are you okay?" he asked groggily. "Did something happen?"

"I had a bad dream," Nava said. "Can I sleep with you?"

Shinu blinked a few times before shuffling over in the bed and opening the blankets for her. She crawled in and nestled against his side. He was tense as she got comfortable, eventually resting her head on his shoulder and immediately fell back asleep.

Shinu had never had kids, but he had a few nieces and nephews. He knew how to change diapers, how to give baths, and how to comfort them after a scrape, but never after a nightmare. However, Nava seemed perfectly content with clinging onto his arm and sleeping with her forehead against his shoulder.

He didn't know when he fell asleep, but when he awoke the next morning, Nava's legs were across his stomach and her head was nearly dangling off the edge of the mattress. Slowly, he maneuvered around her so as to not wake her up. Once he was off the bed, he circled it and scooped her into his arms.

She was so light, he thought as he took her back to her room. So fragile. So innocent.

It was when he laid her back in her bed, pulled the blankets up to her chin and put her stuffed cat-owl beside her head, that Shinu realized that he was willing to protect her with his life, if that was what it took to make sure she would always be safe.

_**2 years later** _

There was nothing that could have prepared Shinu for that day. It was a day in his life that he would never forget.

He had taken Nava with him on an excursion to the Earth Kingdom, to investigate a possible base for his Yuyan agents. They had docked in a Fire Nation port, but the surrounding area was nothing but trees, which made Shinu uneasy. A heavy feeling settled in his gut as he walked with Nava through the nearby village, noticing the shady people watching them from the shadows as they passed merchant's stalls. Shinu kept hold of Nava's hand at all times, up until they got back to their boat.

He felt apprehensive about letting her sleep in her own room and not in a cot in his quarters, but she insisted, so he relented.

Nava was reading a picture book from candlelight after Shinu sent her to bed for the night when a hush fell over the ship. She thought nothing of it, just assuming that everyone had gone to bed.

Her candle was blown out when the door to her room burst open and someone grabbed her from behind, putting their hand over her mouth as they dragged her out into the hallway.

Nava tried to scream, but it was muffled by the stranger's hand. Out of instinct, she bit them. Hard.

They pulled their hand away long enough for Nava to cry out,

"Dad!"

She was met with a swift slap upside the head and a gruff voice huffed in her ear,

"Another word and I'll snap your neck."

The stranger, a man, picked her up with one arm and slung her over his shoulder. They got back onto the deck but didn't get much farther after that.

A flaming arrow flew into the boards at their feet. The man whirled around at the source of the arrow, spotting a figure on top of the helm, loading another arrow into their bow.

"Let her go and I won't have this arrow sent through your throat," came Shinu's voice.

The man stooped and picked up the arrow that was in the wood. Then he set Nava down and held her in a chokehold to his chest, holding the arrow against her neck. Shinu was standing at the entrance of the ship's tower, hardly ten feet away from Nava and the stranger. Even in the darkness did he look pale, but his eyes alight with a rage Nava had never seen before.

"Dad, I'm scared," Nava whimpered as she tried to shy away from the cool metal of the arrowhead.

"I know, Nav. You'll be okay, just stay calm." Shinu said.

The stranger started to walk backwards, towards the edge of the boat, presumably where he had come up. Before they reached the railing, another flaming arrow flew and lodged itself in the man's shoulder. He cried out, shoving Nava away from him in his haste to put out the fire that was bound to burn him. Nava stumbled forward, meeting Shinu halfway as he picked her up and hugged her to his chest. He put her face in his neck as he made a signal to the agent on the helm.

An arrow was released, this time hitting the man's neck and he fell to the deck, writhing for a minute before falling still.

Shinu took Nava inside and to the infirmary. He sat her on one of the beds and inspected her face and neck.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"We're going home as soon as we can, okay?" he said, cupping her face in his hands. "I'm sorry I let this happen to you, I should have been more vigilant."

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" Nava said in a trembling voice.

"Of course, little one."

Half an hour later, Nava was snuggled up in Shinu's bed, clutching her stuffed cat-owl to her chest.

"I have to go take care of some things, but I'll be back soon, alright?" he pushed her bangs back and kissed her forehead.

She stopped him before he left.

"I love you, dad," she said with a yawn.

"I love you too, little one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope this is going in a direction that isn't too out-of-the-blue for you guys!!  
> despite his short screen-time, i've always found Shinu interesting, so i'm going to explore his and Nava's relationship a bit more so the next chapters don't seem like i've pulled them out of my ass :D  
> please let me know what you think and if you like where this is going!!  
> thank you all for reading, it means the world to me <3


	19. Chapter 19

_Her head was spinning._

_There was so much going on around her. So loud. Too loud._

_Someone was prodding her face, poking her eye. It hurt._

_Stop, she said. I don't like that. Stop it._

_They didn't stop._

_I said stop!_

Nava woke with a gasp and as soon as she did, blinding pain shot across her forehead. She tried to feel the area but was stopped by some bandages across her eye. Confused, she looked around her: she was onboard a ship. A Fire Nation ship, to be exact, judging by the fire banner hanging on the wall across from her. Panic settled deep in her chest.

What happened in Ba Sing Se?

Where were Iroh and Zuko?

Where was she?

She forced her legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the throbbing pain in her skull. She got to her feet, a little wobbly at first, but she managed to shuffle into a small bathroom. Her reflection in the tiny mirror was haggard. Her hair was a mess, lips cracked, and a bandage covered nearly half of her face. She could not, for the life of her, remember just why she had the bandage on.

The last thing Nava remembered was going to the Earth Kingdom palace to serve tea for the Earth King... and then after that... nothing. With shaking hands, she slowly unwrapped the bandage and let it fall to her feet.

She stared at herself in the mirror for a solid, processing what she looked like.

Her eye.

Where her right eye was – her dominant eye, the eye that she relied on to be an archer – was nothing else but a mutilated mess of blood and flesh. A diamond-shaped cut was where her iris should have been, and the entire socket was bloodshot.

Then everything came rushing back to her.

Azula.

The Dai Li.

Zuko betraying his uncle.

Zuko betraying her.

Getting stabbed.

Someone screamed. A blood-curdling, vocal chord-tearing scream. Nava didn't realize it was her until a nurse burst into the bathroom with her. She allowed herself to be pulled back to the bed. The nurse re-wrapped her eye and pulled the blankets over her legs. Nava stared blankly at her lap.

"We will be back in the Fire Nation by tomorrow afternoon," the nurse said when she came out of the bathroom holding the old bandages. "You shouldn't have to worry about infection, the wound has mostly scabbed over. All that's left is the healing process."

"How long was I out?" Nava asked quietly.

"About two and a half weeks."

She closed her eye and shook her head.

"What's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know."

The nurse left Nava alone with her thoughts. She didn't know what time it was, but it definitely wasn't daytime yet.

Am I going to die?

I don't want to die. At least not at the hands of the Fire Nation.

If they kill me will Zuko come to my execution?

Would he cry? Would he try to redeem himself? Would he vouch for my freedom even though we're now on opposite sides?

She laid back, blinking away angry tears. She hoped Zuko would attend her execution, just so he could see what his decision did to her.

///

They arrived at the Fire Nation earlier than the nurse said they would – just before noon. She could see the port from outside the barred window of the infirmary she was in. The door opened and in stepped a soldier, followed by a man Nava had not seen in a very long time.

"So, I pull you out of the dirt, and this is where you end up."

"Colonel Shinu –" Nava said with wide eyes.

"It's General Shinu now. When Princess Azula mentioned that she had captured one of my students, I'd never think in a million years it would have been you," he came into the room, standing at the foot of her bed. "I always thought you were too smart to get caught. The first time was just bad luck, I'd say. Rotten timing. And the second time when you got out? Going 'missing' on a recon mission? I thought for months that you were dead, and then when you showed up on our radar, after being captured by Admiral Zhao of all people," he let out a bark of laughter. "Things have really gone full circle for you, haven't they?"

"What are you doing here... sir?" she didn't know how to act. Should she call him sir? Did that rule still apply even if she hadn't seen him in almost two years?

Shinu turned to the soldier accompanying him.

"Give us some privacy."

The soldier bowed and left the room, shutting the door with a snap. Nava didn't hear his footsteps fading away, so she assumed he was waiting in the hallway. Shinu turned back to her. He looked... sad, for some reason.

"How did this happen to you?" he gestured to her eye.

"I was stabbed by my own arrow. One of Princess Azula's men snuck up on me," the memory replayed in her head and she clenched her fists. "I know you're not here to make small-talk. I mean this with all due respect, General: what do you want?"

"I want you to complete your Yuyan training. Under my jurisdiction, of course."

"Why?" Nava said immediately. "Who put you up to this?"

"No one. I don't want to see your talent waste away in a cell. I can probably convince the Fire Lord to allow me to take you out for a couple hours every week, or something."

Nava narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She didn't answer, staring down the General, looking for any sort of discrepancy in his demeanour.

Eventually he sighed, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Alright, it's because after all this time, after all you've been through with this regiment, I still consider you a daughter, Nava. For months I hoped you would walk into my office, bruised and battered, but alive. I'm sorry for what happened that first time you tried to get out."

"Yeah, I am too. I still have the scar."

"I want to start over with you, Nava. I want you to have that father-figure you were denied."

"You are not the father-figure I want. You're waging a war that is killing millions of innocent people. You're the leader of an institution that abused me and kids like me, and you condoned it. You allowed Zhao to strike me across the back. You could have vetoed the Headmaster's decision to allow it, but you didn't," Nava hurriedly wiped the tear from her good eye. "I trusted you and you did that to me! I wanted so bad for you to be the dad I needed."

Shinu felt his heart break a second time as Nava started to cry. He knew he should have intervened. He knew that he should have given her an outlet to vent and to talk to him about her problems and her insecurities. He failed her, and he recognized that. He wanted to make it better. He stepped towards the side of her bed. She didn't stop him when he hugged her. She just started to cry harder.

"Why weren't you there for me?" she sobbed. "I know you had hundreds of people to look after, and I had other superiors, but none of them were you. I needed you and you weren't there!"

He kissed the crown of her head.

"I know, Nava. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

A knock sounded at the door and the soldier from earlier poked is head in.

"Sir, it's time to take the prisoner inside now," he said.

General Shinu nodded his understanding and bent at the waist to look Nava in the eye.

"You think about it, okay? I'll come by in a few days, after speaking to the Fire Lord, and we'll go from there. I won't let you sit in there forever, I swear it."

She nodded, and he helped her to her feet.

"Are you able to walk?" he asked her.

Nava nodded again, taking a tentative step forward.

The soldier brandished a pair of shackles and put them around her wrists. Shinu walked behind her as she was taken off the ship and towards a large stone tower. They went inside, down a few staircases and into a cell near the end of a long corridor. The shackles were removed from her hands once she was inside the barred part of the cell.

Shinu stood on the other side of the gate, looking sombre.

"General Iroh is in the cell next to you. There is a rat-sized hole near the bottom of the wall, so you'll be able to talk to him as long as you're quiet," he said in a low voice. "This is temporary. I'll get you out, I swear it."

Nava only stared at him.

"I'm sorry, Nava," he said. He stuck his hand through the bar and rested it on her head. "I'll be back soon."

Then he turned and left, and Nava was thrown into semi-darkness. Alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we are nearing the end of this story, friends! i hope you're having as much fun as i am, but i am also looking forward to see how you will react to the ending i have planned :)  
> i hope you noticed some parallels from Hakoda and Katara's confrontation on the ship after Aang takes off. i think Nava deserves a father, or at least as close as she can get to one. Please leave me comments about what you think, whether it be cries for mercy, accusations, praises, or anything else, i would love to hear your thoughts!!


	20. Chapter 20

Shinu came back two days later.

"The Fire Lord has given me permission to take you out for one hour every week," he said with his hands clasped in front of him. "You'll be shackled at the ankles and there will be armed guards around you at all times, but you're allowed out, and that's better than nothing."

Nava knew she should have been happy, excited even, but she wasn't. She just nodded.

"I'll have to learn how to shoot again," she said flatly. "That could take... forever. I can't shoot right-handed because I'm not right-handed. It just won't feel right."

"Then we'll re-train your eyes – well, eye. You'll just have to get used to the depth perception and trust your instincts. This is a win for you, Nava. If things go well, maybe you'll be able to get out for longer amounts of time," he stepped towards her and took her hands in his. "I told you I'd get you out. And I will, I –"

"You swear it, I know. You say it all the time."

"I'll be back in a few days to take you out."

Nava was silent. She bit the inside of her cheek.

"Thank you, Lao," she said, using his first name for the first time since she met him.

He smiled warmly at her.

"Don't worry about it, little one."

///

Nava sat quietly in the coach, across from Shinu and beside a Fire Nation soldier. The shackles around her ankles bumped uncomfortably against her joint with every jerk of the wagon, but she couldn't deny that she missed being outside, even if it was only a few days since she'd seen the sun.

The shooting range they took her to was only a thirty-minute cart ride from the prison, within high stone walls and only one way in or out. The single soldier was quickly accompanied by at least a dozen more as she was helped out of her seat and freed from the chains around her wrists. Shinu took her over to a rack of bows. 

Nava picked the first one. It was a bit smaller than the rest, with cedar limbs and red designs on them. The arrows were cedar as well, with red fletchings and silver arrowheads. She tested the string by giving it a light pull and looked to Shinu when she was satisfied.

"Show me your ready position," he said, all traces of a father gone. He was General Shinu once again.

Nava did as she was told, standing with her feet shoulder width apart and her right foot pointing towards the target. 

"Nock the arrow."

She did.

"Draw the string and use your right eye to mark the target."

Nava hesitated but she did it anyway. 

"The target is a little out of the way of your left eye, right?"

"Yes."

"Use your instincts to figure out where to put that arrow. If you miss, adjust yourself accordingly and keep trying."

Nava drew the string back, narrowing her left eye. Without another moment's thought, she released the drawstring and the arrow flew. It hit the right-side of the target. She grabbed another arrow and tried again. Bottom-right.

Again. Upper-right.

Again. Right-centre of the bullseye.

Again. Top right corner.

Nava lowered her bow and looked over to General Shinu, whose mouth was in a thin line.

"You're under-correcting yourself," he said. "You can't seem to grasp the fact that you can't see out of one eye anymore. But you'll get there, your brain will adjust. Try it again."

A few more failed times later, Nava snapped an arrow in frustration.

"This is ridiculous!" she shouted. "I'm trying to hit the bullseye and it keeps going to the right! I swear I can see the arrow curving!"

Taking the bow from her, Shinu nudged her aside and notched an arrow. He drew the string back.

"You're becoming lazy with your form. Your arms are tilting slightly, and you aren't bringing your shoulders back far enough," he said. He mimicked her stance and let the drawstring go. The arrow veered to the right. "If you correct yourself, like so," he straightened his back and pulled his arm back farther. Releasing the string, the arrow hit the bullseye dead-on. "You'll get your mark every time."

"You still have both of your eyes, though."

"I do, but with the way my eyesight is, I might as well only have one. Try again."

He handed the bow back and Nava got into position. Shinu fixed her arms and straightened her back and nodded his go-ahead. She let the arrow go and it sunk a hair's width away from the centre. Grinning, she looked back at Shinu, who was already smiling.

"No more of these 'I'm blind in one eye' excuses," he then said sternly. "You don't give yourself enough credit. You can mourn the loss of what you had on your own time and come to these lessons ready to adapt to your new circumstances. Do you understand?”

"Yes, General."

"Good. Next week we'll start with moving targets."

"It's time to go already?"

"Time flies when you're having fun. Let's go, little one."

///

A few days following her lesson, Nava fell into a deep depression.

She didn't know what brought it on, but she could barely bring herself to eat. Her hushed conversations with Iroh were few and far in between and she missed Shinu.

She would never admit it, but she missed Zuko too. She missed his scowl, his banter with his uncle, and she especially missed the arguments they had. They were always at each other's throats, Nava realized, but there was something between them that couldn't be broken. 

Not until now, anyway. 

She was so angry with him. After all the time they spent together, all the times they fought for each other, defended one another, he threw it away like it was no skin off his back.

Even after his own father permanently scarred him and sent him off to look for a person that hadn't been seen in a century, he still went back. His honour above all else. Even the people who loved him.

Nava didn't know when those feelings for him developed, but she thought he felt the same way. That kiss they shared, however brief, was a confirmation of his mind changing. At least, she thought it was. How naïve of her.

She hated him. 

She laid down and rolled onto her side.

Nava was just about to doze off when the door to her cell creaked open. She feigned sleep as whoever came in knelt in front of her bars.

"Nava? Are you awake?"

She felt her heart constrict at Zuko saying her name. She fought with herself to remain still.

"You're probably faking so you won't have to talk to me... but it's okay. I understand. I just want to tell you that I'm sorry. I've done you and my uncle wrong, and I'm afraid I made the wrong choice. What happened to your eye is my fault, and I get it if you hate me, but I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I wish I could go back and change it, I really do."

He paused, waiting for her to stir or say something, but her breathing remained even, though he noticed her fist had clenched. He stood, turning towards the door.

"I'll find a way to get you out of here. I promise," was all he said before leaving, plunging Nava into darkness once again.

///

As time passed and Nava continued her training, Zuko's words stuck with her. Was he actually sorry? Or were things just not going his way, so he was backtracking? She swore as she let the arrow go and it sunk into the tree behind the target a soldier was carrying.

"You seem tense," Shinu said. "Is something bothering you?"

Nava shrugged.

"I'm afraid if I talk about it I'll be tried for treason."

"Is it about Prince Zuko?"

A minute nod gave Shinu his answer. He turned to the soldiers around them.

"Give us a minute," he ordered.

The soldiers hesitated a moment before dispersing and heading towards a small shack near the exit.

"What about him is bugging you?"

Everything.

"He came to visit me in my cell the other day," Nava said quietly. She nocked another arrow and sent it flying. It hit the bullseye. "He said that he was sorry, and he thinks he made the wrong choice," another arrow gone. "I pretended to be sleeping so I wouldn't have to talk to him but... I miss him. And I hate it." Another one. "I hate him."

"No, you don't," Shinu said. He put a hand on the bow and forced her to lower it. "You're angry, and you have every right to be, but you have to understand, regaining his honour has been his reason to live for three year. But because he's been gone so long, he's built up this idea in his head about what his life should be like, without considering how good his life was before."

Nava was silent, staring down at her feet.

"You care for him deeply, don't you?"

She nodded. 

"He'll come around. He's approached me before asking how you were. I just told him to ask you himself, which now that I think about it, isn't a proper way to speak to a Prince, but he hurt my daughter's feelings. I think I can be disrespectful to him for that, don't you?"

She laughed a little and Shinu put an arm around her shoulders, hugging her to him.

"Be angry a little longer, I'd be concerned if you weren't, but don't let it take over your life. You've seen what anger and bitterness does to a person and you don't want to end up like that. You get a lot of time to think in that cell, so think about where he's coming from. Maybe talk with his uncle a little bit."

"Thanks, Lao," she said, and he kissed her temple.

"Let's get going, I want to get back before it gets dark."

Before Nava was escorted back into the prison, Shinu pulled her aside.

"Think about what I said, okay? I might not be able to take you out next week because the Fire Lord's called a meeting, but after that you tell me what conclusion you've come to, alright?"

"Okay."

"Okay. I'll see you as soon as I can, little one."

Another kiss to the crown of her head and Nava was taken away.


	21. Chapter 21

A week passed.

And then two.

Nava spent a lot of time thinking in that cell, meditating like Iroh had recommended to her, and the conclusion she came to was that she was still angry. She still hated Zuko, and if he ever came back to see her, she wouldn't hesitate to let him know. She'd heard him talking to Iroh a few days ago, and obviously he wasn't giving Zuko the answers he wanted because he snapped and called him a 'crazy old man.'

It only made Nava angrier.

Zuko returned a few days later, this time to visit her. When he first entered the room, he didn't even notice Nava at first until he stepped closer to the bars. She was sat in the corner, her knees pulled to her chest and her head resting against the wall. She was thinner, he noticed. There were dark shadows under her eyes and her hair fell in choppy strands across her wounded eye. It was jarring, seeing her so dishevelled.

"Good to see you awake," Zuko said after a bit of silence. He was kneeling in front of the bars again. "I just came to check in on you. I heard you've been training with General Shinu. I hope he isn't treating you too – "

"What do you want, Zuko?" her voice cut in, so quiet that he barely heard it. She was looking at him now, face void of all emotion. "You want me to forgive you? You want to kiss and make up and pretend that you didn't just throw the two people who trusted and loved you from the beginning in prison to rot? You're trying to make things better, I can see, because you feel bad. It's always been about your feelings, you never think for anyone but yourself. And now because of your selfishness, I'm blind in one eye and caged like an animal!"

She was on her knees now, less than a foot away from him, glaring at him with a rage he never knew she possessed. She was looking into his soul with her familiar green eyes, but this time it was ripping him apart from the inside out, hoping he would choke on his own blood.

"Nava – "

"Get out," she seethed. "Get out and don't ever come back. I'll gouge my other eye out if that means I won't have to see you again."

Zuko couldn't move, immobilized by her words.

"I said get out!" she repeated, gripping the bars tight enough that her knuckles went white. She bared her teeth.

She almost smiled at the pain that flickered through his eyes. But he got up nonetheless, turning his back on her and not looking back until he was out of the prison.

"You mustn't blame him," Iroh's voice startled her. "He is very confused. He is starting to realize that what he's dreamed of isn't what he wants. The Solar Eclipse is in a week and I suspect he will try something. Don't worry."

///

On the morning of the eclipse, Iroh woke Nava up right at dawn.

"I'm breaking out this afternoon," he whispered. "I've planned everything down to the last second, but I'm worried I won't have time to get you out as well."

"Don't worry about me," Nava said through a yawn. "I'm not concerned with getting out just yet."

"Are you sure? You don't know when your next opportunity will be."

"That's fine with me. I don't have anything I need to do right away, anyway. I can wait."

Nava could feel the doubtful look Iroh was giving her through the wall. She heard him sigh.

"If you're sure..."

"I am. Thank you, Iroh, for everything," she said.

"We'll see each other again very soon, I am sure of it."

One of the guards, Ming, came in with breakfast a little while later.

"I've brought you a warm cup of tea, Nava," she said kindly, handing it to her through the slot in the bars. "I'm worried you aren't eating enough."

"Thank you," Nava said. "I just haven't been hungry lately, but I'll try and eat more."

///

Nava could feel the firebending energy in the air lessen as the eclipse approached. Once the energy was gone completely, a great crash sounded from Iroh's cell. She heard footsteps approaching, the door being slammed open, and then a shout. There was some slamming and then... nothing.

Iroh had broken out.

As soon as the energy was gone, it returned tenfold. A guard burst into Nava's cell, startling her.

"Where did he go!" he barked at her, whipping fire across the bars.

"I don't know!" she responded. "I didn't even know he was breaking out, I swear!"

"Calm yourself, you idiot."

The voice made both the guard and Nava freeze.

"Princess Azula..." the guard said, taking a knee and bowing his head. "I was just asking the prisoner here –"

"I know what you were doing, I could hear it from down the hallway." Azula said coldly. "Give me some time alone with the prisoner."

"Yes, Princess."

The guard got to his feet and left them alone. Azula stood a foot away from the bars, examining Nava with a calculated eye.

"So, Uncle Fatso breaks out and leaves you behind. Are you expecting your prince to come and save you?"

"I'm not expecting anything from him," Nava snapped. "What do you want?"

"My brother is on his way here, presumably to get you and my uncle out. We foiled an invasion from the Avatar and his friends, and Zuko has predictably betrayed our father. I'm here to take you away so he can fail one last time before he leaves for good."

"And if I refuse?"

"I'll kill you right here and leave your body for Zuko to find."

"Then why not do it? Afraid you'll fall down the slippery slope of guilt?"

Azula let out a humourless laugh.

"Hardly, I'd have no qualms about killing you. But you're useful. You're a bargaining chip against my brother," she said. "He cares for you more than he'd like to admit and after all he's done to his country and his family, he doesn't deserve happiness."

"That's an awful lot of work for you to do despite your constant insistence that you don't like him."

"Enough stalling, it's time for you to take a bit of a nap."

"Wait, what –"

Azula cut her off by grabbing her by the throat and yanking her towards the bars. The momentum knocked her head into the metal and she cried out, another blow to her neck, and Nava was out cold.

///

Zuko burst into the cellblock, ignoring the unconscious soldiers on the ground and sprinting right to Iroh and Nava's cells.

"Uncle!" he gasped as he burst into Iroh's room. All he was met with was a dazed guard. He bent and picked him up by the lapels. "Where is he?"

"He's gone! I – I don't know what happened. He was so strong, like a one-man army. I've never seen anything like it!"

Growling, Zuko dropped him and went into Nava's cell, which was also empty.

"Where is she!" he demanded to the same guard.

"The Princess she – she came in and grabbed her. Knocked her out and took her away, I don't know where!"

Swearing, Zuko kicked a stool and stormed out of the prison.

From a watchtower outside, Princess Azula stood beside one of the generals, her expression unreadable and her hands clasped behind her back. She watched as the Avatar's bison took off into the sky and went north.

"Should we follow them, Princess?"

"No, they're too fast," she said. "It doesn't matter, they'll be back."

She turned and left the captain, leaving the tower and returning to a room within the palace. Nava was tied to a chair, gagged and half-conscious. She blinked blearily at Azula as she came in and put her hands on her hips.

"Let's go on a little trip, shall we?" she said, grabbing Nava by the collar and dragging her out of the room.

Azula took Nava onto an airship, dressing her in clothing with metal sewed into the fabric.

"It's in case you try any funny business," she'd explained. "One strike from my lightning and you'll cook like duck over an open flame. So, keep your head on straight, I'd hate for you to die before you've accomplished your usefulness."

Nava decided that she liked Azula's friends. They seemed to be with her just because Azula would kill them if they didn't, which she didn't blame them; the Princess was clearly unhinged, and it was only going to get worse.

Ty Lee insisted on coming in every morning and braiding Nava's hair, which had grown well past her shoulders. She'd never had long hair before because it required so much upkeep.

She would listen to Ty Lee babble on about everything for hours while they hung out. Nava learned from bits of her stories that Zuko and her other friend Mai had dated briefly after he returned, but they broke up during a trip to the beach after he accidentally called Mai by Nava's name during an argument.

"It's good to know you are bonding with a traitor while I'm working helping my country by bringing my brother to justice," Azula said to Ty Lee one afternoon during lunch.

"I think Nava needs a friend! She's been rotting in a cell for months and she hasn't been around girls in who knows how long. She seems so nice, Azula, why don't you consider letting her join our group?"

"I have no interest in befriending a deserter," Azula said coldly. "Anyway, I've gotten word from Mai that Zuko is travelling with the Avatar and is currently at the Boiling Rock, so we're heading there. Maybe it's time to introduce our little Yuyan girl."

///

The airship docked at the outskirts of the prison and Azula entered Nava's room, holding a small key.

"Here's the plan," Azula said. "I'm going to unlock you and give you a bow and arrow. Your mission is to subdue my brother and anyone he may be travelling with at all costs. You shoot to kill, and I know you can kill. Do you understand me?"

Nava quickly weighed the consequences of going against her.

She could die.

Zuko could die.

Innocent people could die... well, as innocent as prisoners could be. She did not want that on her conscience.

Nava nodded in defeat.

"Yes, Princess."


	22. Chapter 22

The bow Nava was given wasn't a Yuyan one, but it would have to do, she decided. She tested the string by pulling it slightly and wasn't too pleased with it. Maybe she could purposely botch this plan without actually doing anything malicious.

She followed behind Azula and Ty Lee as they went to talk to The Warden of The Boiling Rock. She stayed outside, flanked by some soldiers as Azula spoke with him. Right before they went to leave, an announcement was heard over the intercom.

"All prisoners to the courtyard,"

"What?!" The Warden exclaimed. "Who authorized this?!"

Azula clicked her tongue.

"It appears we are in for a bit of a fight, ladies," she said. "Remember what I told you, Nava, and remember the consequences. Follow me."

Azula led them outside and back towards the gondolas they'd come in on. They got to the top just as a gondola was pulling away. 

The Princess grabbed a pair of handcuffs clipped to a guard's waist and used her firebending to propel herself onto the cord, where she hooked the cuff around it and pushed herself forward, towards the gondola. 

Ty Lee cartwheeled onto the cord and balanced on it, following Azula up the track.

Zuko squinted past his sister and at the deck and felt his heart jump to his throat.

"Nava's down there," he breathed. "But she – she's firing an arrow. Duck!"

A wooden arrow flew over the top of Sokka's head just as he ducked.

"I thought you said she was in prison!" he cried as another arrow embedded itself in the carriage's roof.

"I said Azula got her out, but I didn't know she would make her fight!"

"Hello, brother," Azula said breathlessly, ducking out of the way of a punch from Suki. "Do you like my little surprise?"

Back on the ground, Nava fired another arrow, purposely missing Zuko and nicking his sister's ankle. The Princess thought nothing of it. 

Nava watched the group of them fight for a few minutes before The Warden stuck his head out of the gondola.

"Cut the line!" he screamed and was immediately pulled back in by another prisoner.

"He wants us to cut the line," a guard said from beside Nava.

"But if we do, there's no way he'll survive," another said.

"Neither will they, and he knows that."

A couple more guards ran up with a large saw. They began to cut the line, and as they did, the carriage up above started to rock precariously to one side.

Azula and Ty Lee jumped from the gondola to another one that was making its way in.

Nava lowered her bow to watch Zuko's gondola. Bile rose in her throat as the line began to give, but another appearance made her jump. A girl in dark red robes, Mai, she remembered, had thrown a pair of stiletto knives at the guards, effectively pinning their wrist-guards to the structure. 

"What are you doing?" one of them demanded.

"Saving the jerk who dumped me," Mai responded.

Nava was apprehended by a female guard, her bow clattering to the ground. The rest of them tried to subdue Mai but were unsuccessful as she used her blades to pin their hands down. Eventually she was overwhelmed and was grabbed by two guards. 

Azula and Ty Lee made it back a minute later, the former looking furious. Mai ducked her head, staring at the ground.

"Leave us alone," Azula said.

The guards released both Mai and Nava and left them. Nava picked up her bow and went to Ty Lee's side, who was standing between her two friends, watching apprehensively. 

"I never expected this from you," Azula said. "The thing I don't understand is why. Why would you do it? You know the consequences."

"I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do," Mai said bluntly. "You miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you."

"No, you miscalculated!" Azula said acidly. "You should have feared me more!"

She got into a stance that Nava remembered Iroh doing when he was about to bend lightning. Mai immediately whipped out one of her stilettos. Smoke came from the Princess's finger, but Ty Lee stepped in, jabbing her with a series of punches. Azula's eyes widened in shock as she fell, totally immobilized. Nava took a step back as Ty Lee ran to Mai and grabbed her sleeve.

"Come on, we need to get out of here!" she said.

Before they could move, the guards came back, two of them helping Azula up, and the rest surrounding her friends. 

"What shall we do with them, Princess?"

"Take them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again," she said, glaring at the pair of them. "And let them rot."

The girls were taken away and Azula and Nava were led to a new airship.

"I want you to follow my brother," she said to the captain and then rounded on Nava. "Why didn't you stop her?!"

"I was blocked by a guard, there wasn't much I could do."

"Then you should have done more! One more slip-up and I'll kill you, you dirty traitor."

Nava averted her gaze and allowed herself to be taken to a cell-like room in the lower part of the airship.

Once she was locked in, Nava put her face in her hands and heaved a large sigh. 

This was not going to end well.

///

A few days later, Azula burst into Nava's room, waking her from her morning repose.

"Get up," she said, nudging her with her foot.

Nava sat up and slowly got to her feet. Azula was holding a rope in one hand and a cloth in the other. She stepped towards her and grabbed Nava's wrists, holding them behind her back and tying her hands together, then she knotted the cloth across her mouth.

"You're about to serve the purpose intended for you all along, little Yuyan," she said, patting her once on the head. She pulled Nava out of the cell and took her to the control room of the ship.

"See out there?" Azula pointed to cliff in the distance. "That's where my brother and his new friends are hiding out. That's where I'm going to make myself an only child!"

Nava looked at her in surprise. It seemed like ever since the events at the Boiling Rock she'd been slowly becoming more and more unhinged. The Princess turned towards the captain as they went over the cliff and lowered the ship to be level with a dwelling within the rocks.

"Fire the bombs," she ordered.

The captain leaned into his microphone.

"Fire!" he said.

A few seconds later, numerous flaming balls rocketed towards the temple and hit the pillars. Debris and gravel fell and eventually, Zuko burst out from behind a wall of stone. Azula dragged Nava behind her as they went towards an outdoor observation deck.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko called out.

"You mean you can't tell yet?" Azula spread her arms out. "I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child!"

She flipped over the railing and sent steady streams of fire from her feet at her brother. She pulled herself back onto the catwalk as the sheer force of her flames dislodged more rocks. Nava watched helplessly as Zuko dove out of the way. He ran up the side of a crumbling pillar and launched himself into the air, firing three shots at the observation deck, but only one hit. Azula ducked out of the way as Zuko fell. Eventually he gained his footing and used his firebending to keep himself hovering.

Azula punched fire at him and he narrowly avoided it. Then Zuko launched himself towards the airship and landed on the catwalk a few feet away from his sister.

They fought hand-to-hand for a while before Azula got the upper-hand and pushed Zuko off the edge of the platform. Nava ran onto the deck as she watched him fall, her eyes welling up with tears.

As he was falling, Appa came out of the smoke, and Katara pulled him into the saddle. Before they could get away, Azula grabbed Nava by the hair and dragged her to the edge.

"Oh, Zuzu," she sang. "Don't you think you're forgetting something?!"

Zuko looked over his shoulder in time to see his sister throw Nava over the railing of the zeppelin.

He realized, in horror, that she was bound and gagged, her legs flailing wildly as she fell.

"No," he breathed. He rounded on Aang. "Turn around! Please, we can't let her fall, Aang, please! Turn around!"

Time slowed down as Appa sailed across the crevice.

Nava was still struggling to get out of the ropes around her wrists, but it only seemed to make her fall faster. 

They caught her just above the fog-line of the pillars of stone, Zuko pulled her into his lap and ripped off the gag and undid the binding around her hands. She was totally silent, eyes still wide in shock as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Nava," he whispered. "Nava look at me."

He gently turned her head and looked her in the eye. She blinked.

"Zuko?"

He nodded.

Like a switch had been flipped, she burst into tears, burying her face in the crook of her neck. He hugged her to him, rubbing her back and whispering soothing things into her ear. 

"I th-thought I was go-going to..." she sobbed. "I was s-so sc-scared."

"I know, Nava," Zuko said. "You're okay now, you'll be okay. I promise."

He looked back at Azula, who was still standing on the catwalk, laughing hysterically.

///

They made camp somewhere in the Earth Kingdom.

Zuko set Nava up in his tent, tucking her into a sleeping bag and leaving a pot of tea beside her. She hadn't spoken since she stopped crying, and was only staring blankly at nothing, which worried him. He knew the others had questions, but he wanted to wait until he was sure Nava was fine before he answered any of them. 

He sat beside her, playing with her hair as she dozed.

"I missed you so much," he whispered. "I'm so sorry I did this to you. I came to get you during the eclipse, but both you and Uncle were gone," his hand hovered over the gnarled skin of her eye. He brushed it and her left eye fluttered slightly. He bent over and kissed her temple. "I'll be back to check on you later."

Zuko returned to the group, sitting down between Sokka and Aang and taking a cup of tea offered to him. They made idle chit-chat for a while before the conversation lulled and a heavy tension settled over top.

"So... is anyone going to ask about her eye, or should I?" Sokka said eventually.

"Back in Ba Sing Se," Zuko said. "A Dai Li agent snuck up behind her and stabbed her with one of her arrows."

"What was she doing with your sister?" Aang asked.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think she was with her willingly."

"Can we trust her?" the question came from Katara, who was watching Zuko with a cold look.

"Of course you can trust her."

"Sorry for being a little skeptical, but she was the one that sold us out to those pirates and you a while back."

"I was just doing my job," Nava's haggard voice startled them all. She sat beside Zuko and looked across the fire at Katara. "You stole something that didn't belong to you, so I got it back."

"It didn't belong to the pirates either,"

"Same dung, different pile. We're all petty thieves," Nava said. "I'm also the one who kept Dai Li agents at bay while you tried to help Aang."

Katara's eyes darkened but she said nothing else. 

"So, are you, like, totally blind in that eye?" Sokka piped up after a period of awkward silence.

"Yeah."

"How did you use that bow back at The Boiling Rock?"

"Instinct, mostly. I wasn't trying to hit you guys, I hope you know, but I wanted to keep Azula from getting suspicious with me," she paused, staring down at her lap. "She sewed metal into my clothing and said if I put a tow out of line she would 'cook me like a duck over an open fire'."

"That's messed up," Toph said.

Nava couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Yeah," she said. "It is."

After everyone but Zuko and Nava retired to bed that night, the two outlaws took a walk, hand-in-hand.

"Are you still mad at me?" he asked her.

Nava thought it over for a minute, gazing up at the moon before looking at her feet.

"Not anymore," she said. "I think I stopped being mad when I saw you at the prison."

"Really? I thought you would hate me longer than that."

"Honestly, I thought so too," she said. "I thought I hated you, which is why I said all those awful things when you visited me the second time. I said them because I knew it would hurt you and I wanted you to feel how I did, but after the eclipse when Azula came and got me, I started to realize I didn't want to be without you. And then at the prison, when Mai helped you guys get away, she told Azula she loved you more than she feared her, and that's when I knew that I felt the same way. I still loved you, like I've always loved you."

Zuko stopped in his tracks, pulling her to a stop as well.

"How long?" he breathed.

"Ever since Ba Sing Se."

"Even after all I've done?"

Nava took a step towards him and gently grabbed his face in her hands. She pulled him towards her, close enough so their lips brushed.

"Even then," she whispered.

Zuko closed the space between them, putting a hand on the small of her back and bringing her closer to him. The kiss was short and sweet, but full of unspoken words. He pulled away first and rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you too," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally we have a confession!! this is also one of the chapters i'd written before i even started the story, so i put a lot of work into it and i really hope you liked it. please let me know what you think! until next time friends <3


	23. Chapter 23

Zuko was gone when Nava awoke. Tying her hair into a topknot as she exited the tent, she nearly bumped into a girl with bobbed light brown hair.

"Oh, hi!" she said brightly. "I don't believe we've officially met, I'm Suki."

"Hi," Nava said, smiling tiredly. "Have you seen Zuko?"

"He left early this morning with Katara to go hunt down the guy that killed her and Sokka's mom... I don't really know the specifics."

Nava blinked in surprise.

"Oh, well... thanks, I guess," she said.

They stepped around each other and Nava towards the firepit, where Sokka was rekindling it.

"Good to see you're still alive," he said lightly as she sat down. "Zuko's with Katara on their life-changing fieldtrip. We've all had one, except Toph. And you, I guess."

"Trust me, the entire journey I had with Zuko was a life-changing fieldtrip," Nava said. "Suki said they went to track down the guy that killed your mom?"

"Yeah. He was part of some Fire Nation regime that raided our village looking for waterbenders. Katara was the only one, but we were just kids. Our mom offered herself up, thinking they were taking prisoners, but they weren't. She was murdered right in our tent."

Nava's hand went to her mouth as her eyes widened in horror.

"Oh, no," she sighed. "That must have been awful for you guys."

"Yeah, it was pretty bad for a while. But Katara really stepped up and took care of us when our dad went off to battle. She deserves this closure."

"Is she... going to kill the guy?"

Sokka stepped back from the fire, which had just re-lit. He shrugged.

"She wanted to, but I don't think she will. She's too kind to do something like that."

Nava leaned back on her hands and nodded slowly. They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Sokka spoke up again, "Zuko said that he left you something in his bag back in the tent. He didn't say what, but I don't think it's anything bad, like an assassin or something."

"I wouldn't put past Zuko to send an assassin after someone," Nava said as she got to her feet.

"He did send an assassin after us!" Toph piped up from a stone tent a few feet away from where Sokka was sitting. "He had metal limbs and could blow things up with his mind!"

Nava stopped mid-step, turning slowly to face the two of them.

"I'm sorry, he did what?"

"He was going through a tough time, apparently," Sokka said with a shrug. "We're all past that now and kinda joke about it from time to time."

Nava scoffed and shook her head before resuming her path back to the tent.

She rummaged through Zuko's things for a minute before coming across the bag Sokka was talking about. She opened the flap and noticed the quiver first. Her bow, the one she used while training with Shinu weeks ago, was nestled beside it. It didn't have a string, but everything else was intact. Zuko had obviously taken special care not to bend the fletching on the arrows. She pulled out the weapon and smiled to herself. Setting it aside, she searched around the tent until she found a roll of string. Then she got to work re-stringing the bow.

After finishing with that, Nava announced that she was going to look for some food and would be back later. As she walked, enjoying the scenery, she thought of Iroh. She hoped he was doing okay, wherever he was. Maybe he went back to Ba Sing Se to re-open the Jasmine Dragon, or maybe he had been following Zuko since the eclipse, though the latter was unlikely. She just hoped Iroh was alive and not back in prison.

Nava was able to snag a few rabbits by evening. She got back to the camp just as Appa was arriving. Zuko jumped from the saddle, seemingly alone.

"Where's Katara?" Nava heard Aang ask as she approached the group.

"I dropped her off at my family's summer home on Ember Island. We figured it'd be the last place anyone would look if someone was looking for us," Zuko said. "It's only about an hour or two flight from here."

"Did Katara... take care of it?" Aang said nervously.

"No, she let him live," was all Zuko said before walking in the direction of his tent.

Nava handed the rabbits off to Sokka and followed the Prince.

He was folding his clothes and stuffing them into bags when she entered.

"I'm assuming it went well?" she said as she knelt beside him to roll up the sleeping bags.

"Yeah, I think so," Zuko said. "I see you found your bow."

"I did, thanks for grabbing it. It's the same one I used when Shinu took me out."

"Yeah, he's the one who gave it to me. He told me to tell you that he's proud of you."

Nava smiled at that.

///

Katara was waiting on a dock when the rest of the group arrived at Ember Island. Everyone jumped off Appa as soon as they landed to greet her.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked as he released her from his hug.

"I'm doing fine," Katara said.

"Zuko told me what you did... or what you didn't do, I guess. I'm proud of you."

Katara pulled on her hair and closed her eyes.

"I wanted to do it. I wanted to take out all my anger at him, but I couldn't," she said. "I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it or if I'm strong enough not to."

"You did the right thing," Aang said reassuringly. "Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing."

"I didn't forgive him, I never will," she looked past Aang at Zuko. "But I am ready to forgive you."

Katara approached him and hugged him tightly. After releasing him she turned to Nava with a nervous expression.

"Sorry for being so short with you earlier," Katara said, taking Nava's hands in her own. "Zuko told me about everything you've done for him. He's lucky to have you."

"Yeah," Nava said with a grin. "He is pretty lucky, isn't he?"

Katara laughed as she let go of Nava's hands and strode past her and Zuko to Sokka, who was waiting beside Appa. 

"I'll catch up with you in a second, alright?" Zuko said to Nava. He gave her a one-armed hug and she left him, going to help Suki and Toph unload Appa's saddle.

The entire summer home was bigger than anything Nava had ever seen. There were enough rooms for everyone to have their own, plus a giant master bedroom that belonged to Zuko's parents. 

He didn't linger around the room once he pointed it out to the group; he just kept walking as though there wasn't a shift in the air. Everyone seemed to remember at the same time that they were staying in the Fire Lord's house while hiding from him.

Zuko and Nava shared a room that overlooked the beachfront. She was sitting in front of the dusty vanity in the corner, combing her fingers through her hair when a throbbing pain shot through her head. At first, she thought she had been shot again, but she couldn't feel any blood. Nava put her face in her hands and tried to breathe through the pain. She didn't know how long she sat like that for, but she was taken out of her pain-induced reverie when Zuko put his hand on her shoulder.

"What happened?" he was asking. His voice sounded distant. "Is it your head?"

"It...  hurts... so bad," Nava said as her vision swam. "Everything is so... blurry." 

Zuko hoisted her into his arms and gently laid her on one of the sleeping mats.

"I'll go get you some water," he said. 

Zuko nearly collided with Katara as he was coming back from the kitchen with a pitcher of water.

"Is everything okay? You looked panicked." Katara said.

"There's something wrong with Nava's head," Zuko said. "She said her vision was blurry and she nearly passed out while brushing her hair."

Katara's eyebrows furrowed.

"Take me to her, I'll see if I can do anything," she said.

A few minutes later, Katara was kneeling over Nava with some water from the pitcher covering her hands. She focused her energy and the water turned blue, then she put her hands over Nava's eye. 

"There's a lot of tension here," Katara said. "Have you been getting these pains for a while?"

"Not... not really. But I also haven't been doing anything besides sitting in cells for a couple months," Nava said. 

"Maybe the sudden physical activity is taking a toll on your injuries. You shouldn't be moving around more than you need to, try to keep your eyes as still as possible."

Katara removed the water from Nava's face and put it into one of the cups Zuko brought.

"How does it feel now?"

"Better, thanks Katara," Nava said with a weak smile.

"No problem. I'll see you guys in the morning."

Once Katara was gone, Zuko spoke up,

"Maybe you should wear a blindfold for a few days."

"What? Why?" Nava said. 

"To give your eyes a break and so you don't have to be cooped up in here all the time."

"I'd roll my eyes if I didn't feel like they would fall out if I did," she said. "But I guess you're right. We'll start that tomorrow."

Nava rolled onto her left side and curled up into a ball, signalling that their conversation was over.

Zuko left the pitcher of water and the extra cup next to her as he got ready for bed.

Then he laid down beside Nava. He got comfortable and before he could fall asleep, her hand shot out and grabbed his. He gave it a small squeeze and she returned it.

They fell asleep like that a few minutes later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends! this chapter and the one after it are a bit of filler before we get into the good stuff, so expect a second update very soon so we can get it out of the way! as always, thank you for reading and i'll see you in a day or two :)


	24. Chapter 24

Nava woke with a headache the next morning, a dull throb that quickly escalated into white-hot pain as she sat up and tried to open her eyes.

"Zuko," she said, feeling around for his arm and giving it a light tap once she found it.

Zuko stirred with a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" he asked groggily.

"I can't see."

"What?" he sat up abruptly, all traces of sleepiness gone.

"If I try to open my eyes, my head starts to hurt so much that all I see is white."

"I'll go get Katara."

Zuko was gone and back again in no time. Katara took some of the water from the pitcher from the night before and got to work, pressing her hands over Nava's eyes.

"The pressure seems to have gotten worse, it feels like," Katara said. "I can only do so much, but I think you just need to give your body time to readjust," she removed the water. "I'll try again later if your eyesight hasn't improved, alright?"

"Sure, thanks," Nava said.

Nava and Zuko sat in silence after Katara left.

"Where's that blindfold you were talking about?" Nava muttered finally.

A few minutes later, Zuko had tied the headband Aang had been using previously across Nava's eyes. After determining that it wasn't too tight, he took her outside to sit with Toph and Katara while he trained with Aang.

"Don't you think it's kinda weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own home?" Katara said.

"My father hasn't come here since our family was actually happy, and that was a long time ago. No one will ever think to look for us here."

Sokka's voice cut in from the distance,

"You guys are not going to believe this: there's a play about us!"

"We were in town and found this poster," Suki added.

There was the sound of paper rustling. From beside Nava, Katara got up and walked over to her brother.

"How is this possible?"

"It says the Boy in the Iceberg us a new production by acclaimed playwright Pu On Tim who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar and his journey," Sokka said. "His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage. Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players."

Zuko made a disgusted noise as he plopped down beside Nava and put an arm around her.

"My mom used to take us to see them. They butchered Love Amongst the Dragons every year."

"Sokka," Katara said. "Do you really think it's a good idea for us to see a play about ourselves?"

"Come on, a day at the theatre? This is the kind of time-wasting nonsense we've been needing!"

"What do you think, Nava?" Zuko asked.

"I think I'll pass this time around. I've done enough sitting to last me a lifetime," she said with a shrug. "I'll wait around here until you get back."

"Are you sure? Someone can stay behind with you if you want."

"No, don't worry about it. Plus, I don't think sitting in dim lighting will be good for my eyes."

///

That evening, Nava sat on the deck while her friends left for the play. Zuko seemed very wary about leaving her alone, but she insisted she would be fine, and he reluctantly left her with a chaste kiss on the cheek.

At first, Nava busied herself by exploring the summer home. She discarded her blindfold and made her way through the long hallways. Everything had a thin layer of dust covering it, and there were no pictures of Zuko over the age of ten.

She stood in front of a family portrait. Azula was still an infant, being held to her mother's chest. Zuko sat on Ozai's knee, a shy smile on his face. Nava hated to admit it, but when she looked at the family, she didn't feel anger; she just felt sadness. They were all people thrust into a fight they were expected to finish. Ozai was poisoned by his father's expectations, which he passed onto Azula, who was probably more deranged than her father. Nava was almost glad Zuko was banished – she didn't want to think about what would happen if he followed in his father's footsteps.

Stepping away from the portrait, Nava traversed further down the hallway. She came to a stop in front of Zuko's parent's old bedroom. She slid the door open and poked her head in, half-expecting someone to jump out. When no one did, she took a tentative step into the room. It seemed frozen in time. A comb sat out on a fancy vanity, a robe was laid out on the bed, and a half-written letter was on a desk in the corner. Nava leaned over the parchment, scanning over the neat handwriting.

Fire Lord Azulon,

I have just received word that Iroh has returned from his Earth Kingdom excursion and was injured in combat. Please give him our sincere hopes for his recovery. Father, I urge you to consider what I asked you about before you sent us away to Ember Island.

The letter ended there. Nava furrowed her brows. What had Ozai suggested? A part of her hoped it was a suggestion to end the war peacefully and she almost laughed at her naiveté.

Nava left the bedroom after that, wandering out to sitting area in the heart of the cottage. She spotted a clay plate nestled among some miscellaneous items and picked it up. The centre of it had the imprint of an infant's hand. Turning it over, she saw 'Zuko, age 2' inscribed on the bottom part of it. Nava flipped the plate back over and rested her hand over top of baby-Zuko's. A warm feeling settled in her chest and she put the disc back.

Nava couldn't imagine how tough it must have been for Zuko to return to a childhood home, especially since he'd probably hadn't been since his mother disappeared.

Well, she thought, if he couldn't find happiness with his old family, maybe he'd find it with his new one.

The group returned a few hours after dusk, looking miserable.

"How was the play?" Nava asked, even though she was sure she already knew the answer.

"Awful," Katara said. "I kind of wish I'd stayed here with you."

"What did you do while we were gone?" Zuko said.

"Not a lot. I did some dusting and played in the sand for a bit, but it wasn't as fun alone," Nava said nonchalantly.

"So, I guess we all had a pretty terrible night," Katara said. "I'm going to go to bed and forget it happened."

Everyone but Zuko hummed in agreement and the left him and Nava alone after bidding them goodnight.

"Was the play that bad?" Nava said.

"You have no idea," Zuko said with a shake of his head. "The person who played Toph was this huge buff guy, Aang was played by a woman, and the guy who played me had his scar on the wrong side."

"Sounds disastrous. Who played me?"

"You know, funnily enough, the actress looked just like you. Except she had both eyes."

"That's unfortunate. Actors these days don't get as much into method acting as they should, and the quality of the product suffers because of it."

"I'm sure it does," Zuko said, throwing an arm around her. They walked towards their bedroom. "Maybe when all this is over you should teach them all a thing or two."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys i've estimated approximately 4-5 chapters before we're finished the story! i'd like to get everything out before christmas so i'll aim for that! see you all next week :D


	25. Chapter 25

Nava's eye problems cleared up a few days later; she was back to sparring with Zuko and anyone else willing to go up against her. She even tried her hand against Toph and Katara's bending, which resulted in three broken arrows and a frozen quiver. Nava was sitting beside the fountain in the courtyard, chipping the ice off her quiver while Zuko trained Aang.

"More ferocious!" the prince barked. "Imagine you're striking through your opponent's heart!"

Aang firebent a weak fireball into the sky.

"I'm trying!" he groaned.

"Now let me hear you roar like a tiger-dillo!"

Extending his arms out in front of him and throwing his head back, Aang let out a quiet roar. Small bouts of fire came from his palms and mouth. He looked at Zuko sheepishly.

"That sounded pathetic!" Zuko said. "I said  _roar_!"

Taking a deep breath, Aang roared again, this time with enough energy that a large burst of fire came from his mouth, reminding Nava of Iroh's demonstration back in the Earth Kingdom palace.

Zuko crossed his arms over his chest and nodded in approval.

"Who wants a nice, cool, glass of watermelon juice!" Katara asked as she stepped out onto the deck, holding a tray of small watermelons with straws in them.

"I do, I do!" Aang said excitedly, turning to run towards the house, but Zuko grabbed him by the arm.

"Your lesson isn't over yet," Zuko said, pulling him backwards.

"Come on, Zuko," Sokka chimed in, sipping on his own watermelon. "Just take a break, it's no big deal."

Scowling, Zuko released Aang. "Fine. If you want to lounge around like a bunch of snail-sloths all day, then be my guest!"

He stormed off towards the beachfront. Nava watched him go before turning back to the rest of the group and shrugging.

"Maybe he's right," Sokka said. "Sitting around the house all day has made us pretty lazy. But I know just the thing to change that: beach party!"

He ripped his outer coat off and, left in brown undershorts, took off sprinting towards the lake.

Aang was hot on his heels, whooping as he waterbent a wave of water and dove into it.

Stripping down to their underclothes, Katara and Nava raced to the water. The former fashioned a surfboard out of ice and jumped on, bending the water around her to propel her farther out into the lake. Nava waded until she was waist-deep and dove under, relishing in the silence that came with it. After she resurfaced, she floated on her back, enjoying the sunshine.

"Do you want to come for a ride?"

Opening her eye, Nava saw Katara drifting towards on her surfboard.

"Sure," she said and Katara helped her up.

Nava sat at the front while Katara stood behind her. She pushed them farther out.

They sat in comfortable silence for a bit, just enjoying the water, when Katara spoke.

"What happened to your back?"

"When I was in Yuyan training, I tried to run away. Admiral Zhao caught me as I was leaving and when he took me to the headmaster, he asked if he could be the one to punish me. She let him, and he whipped me across the back with his firebending," Nava absentmindedly kicked her feet while she explained, as though her story was the most normal thing in the world.

"Are you kidding? I always knew Zhao was bad but that... that's awful."

"Yeah. No worries, though, I got out eight months later. I went 'missing'on a recon mission and just hid out in the forest for a few weeks until I made it to the Earth Kingdom mainland. And look at me now, hanging out with the Avatar and his friends."

"The world is kind of funny like that, isn't it?"

Before Nava could answer, the sound of yelling brought their attention back towards the beach. Squinting, Nava could make out Zuko firebending at Aang, who was jumping onto a cliff, followed closely by the prince.

"Hang on!" Katara said and shot them back to shore.

After getting close enough, Nava leapt off and ran over to Sokka, who was grabbing handfuls of sand and pushing it into the shape of a deformed blob.

"What happened?" Katara asked as she caught up with Nava.

"Zuko's gone crazy!" her brother exclaimed. "He destroyed this sand sculpture of Suki I made! Oh, and he's attacking Aang."

Suki grabbed Sokka by the arm and pulled him to his feet, running towards the source of the commotion. They all got to the side of the house in time to see Zuko fall out of a decent-sized hole and land in the gravel.

"What is wrong with you?" Katara demanded as Nava helped him up. "You could have hurt Aang!"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with all of you?" Zuko retorted, dusting off his arms. "How can you sit around having beach parties when Sozin's Comet is three days away?!"

"About Sozin's Comet..." Aang said slowly. "I was actually going to wait to fight the Fire Lord until after it passed."

"After?"

"I'm not ready. I need more time to master firebending."

"And frankly, your earthbending could use some work too," Toph added.

"So... you all knew Aang was going to wait?" Zuko asked.

"If he tries to fight the Fire Lord now, he'll lose," Sokka said.

"The whole point of fighting the Fire Lord before the Comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the war, but they basically won the war when they took Ba Sing Se. Things can't get much worse than that," Katara said.

"No. You're wrong," Zuko said with a shake of his head. "Things are about to get worse than you can even imagine. The day before the eclipse, my father invited me to a war meeting. They were discussing the rebellions in the Earth Kingdom and how to combat them when our army was already spread too thin. He asked me what I suggested we do, but Azula interrupted and said they should burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground."

The air shifted and Zuko sat on a nearby rock, running his hand hastily through his hair.

"My father said that his grandfather used the Comet to end the Air Nomads, and he was going to use it to end the Earth Kingdom. He's going to take the airships and unleash a fire that no one will be able to escape. I wanted to speak out against his horrifying plan, but I'm ashamed to say I didn't."

Beside Nava, Katara dropped to her knees in disbelief.

"I can't believe this," she breathed.

"I always knew that the Fire Lord was a bad guy, but this plan is just plain... evil." Sokka said.

"What am I going to do?" Aang said.

"Listen, I know you're scared," Zuko said, standing up and walking towards Aang. He laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're not ready to save the world, but if you don't defeat the Fire Lord before the Comet comes, there won't be a world to save anymore."

"Why didn't you tell me about your dad's crazy plan sooner!"

"I didn't think I had to! I assumed you were still going to fight him before the Comet; no one told me you decided to wait!"

"This is bad," Aang said, putting his face in his hands. "This is really, really bad."

"You don't have to do it alone, you know," Katara said kindly.

"Yeah! If we all fight the Fire Lord together, we got a shot at taking him down," Toph added.

"Alright!" Sokka exclaimed. "Team Avatar is back! Air, water, earth, fire, fan, sword, and bow!"

He pointed at each individual person as he named off their skill.

"Fighting the Fire Lord is going to be the most difficult thing we've ever done together..." Aang started, but he looked up at everyone with a nervous smile. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sokka and Toph hummed in agreement as they all engaged in a group hug. Nava and Zuko stood awkwardly to the side.

"Get over here, you two," Katara said. "Being a part of the group also means being a part of group hugs."

Grinning, Nava grabbed Zuko's hand and they stood between Sokka and Toph.

"I've never had friends like this before," Nava said. "This is exciting!"

Back in the courtyard, Zuko and Aang stood a few feet apart while Katara and Nava sat and watched. Sokka, Suki, and Toph had gone off to prepare an obstacle course to practice fighting the Fire Lord.

"There's one technique you need to know before you face my father: how to redirect lightning," Zuko said. He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart and stretched his left arm out. "If you allow the energy in your own body flow," the fingers on his right hand brushed his left palm and traced a line down his arm, over his shoulder, across his stomach, and straight out the other side. "The lightning will follow it," he brought his left hand over, so it was parallel with his other one. "You'll be turning your opponent's energy against them."

"Like waterbending!" Aang said.

"Exactly. My uncle invented this technique himself by studying the waterbenders."

"Have you redirected lightning before?"

"Once, against my father."

"How did it feel?" Aang asked, looking excited.

"Exhilarating. But terrifying. You feel so powerful holding all that energy in your body, but you know that if you make one wrong move, it's over."

Aang laughed nervously.

"I mean, not  _over,_ over, right? I mean there's always Katara and a little spirit water action, right?"

"Actually, I used it all up after Azula shot you," Katara said as-a-matter-of-factually.

"You'll have to take the Fire Lord's life before he takes yours," Zuko said sternly.

That evening, the six of them congregated in a rocky area hidden away somewhere on the island. Everyone was dressed in the clothes they were planning on wearing for the final battle, aside from Nava, who was still wearing the clothes given to her by Azula.

At the top of a small hill in the distance, a a wooden post was stuck in the ground. It had a watermelon for a head, and even had a face carved into it. The post had two sticks protruding from its side and a tattered cape was draped over its 'shoulders'. 

"Okay, Team Avatar," Sokka said, drawing a circle representing the melon-man in the dirt. "In order for us to take out the Fire Lord, or in this case, the Melon Lord, our timing has to be perfect. First, Suki and I will draw his fire," he drew a line curving from the left towards the circle. "Nava, you'll stay back and pick off any enemies that may be getting too close and if you can, try and get some arrows in him so he'll be weakened by the time Zuko and Katara come in with some liquidy-hot offence," he traced another line straight down the middle. "And then when he's distracted, Aang will swoop in and  _bam!_ He delivers the final blow."

To accentuate his point, Sokka carved a final line curving in from the right straight through the circle.

"Uh... what about me?" Toph asked.

"For now, you're going to be the Melon Lord's forces," Sokka said.

"So, I'll get to chuck flaming rocks at you guys?"

"Whatever makes it feel like the real thing."

Toph seemed very pleased with that.

With everyone in position behind their own rocks, Toph let out an evil laugh. Sokka and Suki moved first and Fire Nation soldiers made of rock popped up from the ground, gliding towards them. Sokka cut one down and Suki kicked one over. Nava let an arrow fly and it hit a third soldier, impeding its movements slightly before Sokka shoved it over. A flaming boulder fell from the sky and Suki cartwheeled over it, but Sokka wasn't as lucky, and had to dive out of the way before being crushed.

"Watch it, Toph!" he shouted angrily.

"I am not Toph, I am Melon Lord!" Toph cackled.

Katara and Zuko moved next. A ring of soldiers surrounded them, and they fought back-to-back, using their bending to destroy the rock-men.

"Now, Aang!" Sokka cried as he sprinted forward, swinging his sword at any rocks that went near him.

Aang burst from his hiding spot, nimbly avoiding any attacks until he got up to where the Melon Lord sat, his staff inches from its neck.

"Take him out!" Zuko said.

Aang hesitated for a moment before dropping his staff limply to his side.

"I can't do it," he said.

Nava left her spot as Sokka stormed up the hill.

"What's wrong with you? If this was the real thing, you'd be shot full of lightning right now!" he said.

"I'm sorry, but it just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself," Aang said quietly.

Sokka unsheathed his sword and the Avatar looked away as he slashed the Melon Lord's head in half.

"There," Sokka said. "That's how it's done."

"I think that's enough training for today," Katara said as Aang sulked away. "We'll go over it once more when the comet is a bit closer."

The group got aboard Appa and returned to the cottage.

During a quiet dinner, Katara emerged from the house, holding a scroll.

"I have a surprise for everyone!" she said excitedly.

"I knew it! You did have a secret thing with Haru!" Toph interrupted.

"Uh... no." Katara said flatly. "I was looking for cooking pots in the attic and I found this!" she unravelled the scroll, revealing a painting of a baby boy smiling and holding his arms up. "It's baby Zuko! Isn't he cute?"

She made cooing noises as everyone laughed, but Zuko didn't react.

"Oh, lighten up, I was just teasing," Katara said.

"That's not me," the prince said. "It's my father."

Everyone immediately stopped laughing and Katara hurriedly rolled up the scroll.

"But he looked so sweet and innocent," Sokka said.

"Evil people aren't born," Nava said while staring at her rice. "They're made. Everyone has the capacity to be good or bad, and we all make that choice. Zuko could have stayed in the Fire Nation with his father, but he chose to leave. I could have stayed with the military, but I chose to leave. The decisions aren't always that cut and dry, but we have a choice. Ozai had a choice."

"And he chose to become a monster. And the worst father in the history of fathers." Zuko said.

"But he is still a human being," Aang said.

"You're going to defend him?" Zuko asked in disbelief.

"No, I completely agree with you. Fire Lord Ozai is a terrible person and the world will probably be better off without him, but there's got to be another way."

"Like what?"

Aang shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we can make some big pots of glue and then I can use gluebending to stick his arms and legs together, so he can't bend anymore."

"Yeah!" Zuko added sarcastically. "Then you can show him his baby pictures and all those happy memories will suddenly make him good again."

"Do you really think that will work?"

"No."

"This goes against everything I learned from the monks," Aang said, rubbing his temples. "I can't just go around wiping out people I don't like."

"Sure, you can," Sokka said lightly. "If it's in the name of keeping balance I'm sure the universe will forgive you."

"This isn't a joke, Sokka!" Aang rounded on him. "None of you understand the position I'm in!"

"Aang, we do understand. It's just..." Katara started, but Aang interrupted her.

"Just  _what_ , Katara? What!"

Her eyes hardening, the waterbender crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.

"We're just trying to help," she said shortly.

"Well when you can come up with a plan that doesn't involve me killing him, I'd love to hear it!"

Aang stormed off, shrugging off Katara's attempts to stop him.

"Just leave him," Zuko said. "He needs time to sort it out by himself."

That night, while everyone was getting ready for bed, Nava sought Aang out on one of the balconies, meditating, with Momo beside him. He didn't look up when she stepped out into the cool night air.

"Katara, I need to be alone right now," he said.

"Actually, it's me," Nava said. Surprised, Aang opened his eyes and turned to face her. "Can I sit with you?"

"Uh... sure."

She sat cross-legged beside him, giving Momo an affectionate pat on the head as she did. They sat in awkward silence for a minute before Nava spoke.

"If it's any consolation, I don't think you should kill the Fire Lord," she said.

"Really? Why?"

"My adoptive-father, he always used to say, 'take an eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind'. I didn't get it when I was younger, but now I do. It means if you keep getting revenge, the cycle will always continue, and no one will have a chance to move on, and the violence repeats until there's nothing left. If you kill the Fire Lord, you're just perpetuating the cycle, and, in the end, no one wins. You'll both be murderers who thought their killing was justified. I think if you want to end it peacefully, you need to figure out a way to take his bending away. Whether it be by using some weird Avatar technique, or by breaking his bones until they won't work properly ever again, it's up to you. But I think he should have to live with his consequences. Killing him would be mercy."

Aang was quiet for a long time, absent-mindedly stroking Momo's back.

"But what about the rest of the world? What if they don't agree with how I handled it?"

"If they don't agree then they should have killed him themselves," Nava said simply. "It's not like they can fire you and hire a new Avatar. You're just a kid, Aang, you shouldn't be going around killing people at all. No kid should have to."

"Have you killed someone before?"

Nava hesitated before answering. She pursed her lips and nodded minutely.

"Yeah, I have. A few times."

He didn't ask her to elaborate, and she didn't.

"Thank you, Nava," he said with a tired smile. "You've helped me out. I'll see you in the morning."

"No problem. Don't stay up too late," she said and got up.

She made her way back to the bedroom. Zuko was lying on the sleeping mat, his chest rising and falling evenly. She knelt beside him and pushed his bangs back, planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

Grabbing a towel and some soap, Nava went to the bathroom and drew herself a hot bath. She sunk into the depths, blowing bubbles in the water.

What were they doing? This was not their war. This was not their fight to finish.

But it was their future. And Nava would be damned before she let it go up in flames.

She felt much older than the mere seventeen years old she was supposed to be.  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (a/n: i'm very proud of this chapter. i hope you enjoyed it.  
> also i hope y'all have a sweet tooth because it's about to get sickeningly sweet up in here)


	26. Chapter 26

Zuko woke Nava with a kiss the next morning. She hummed against his lips, smiling tiredly.

"We're getting ready to leave now," he said. He was on his stomach beside her, supporting himself on his forearms. "I wanted you to sleep as long as possible. You were quite restless last night."

"Was I? I thought I slept alright," Nava said.

"Yeah, you kicked me in the ribs, like, four times."

"Oh, well, you probably deserved it."

They shared another kiss, starting when the door slammed open and Sokka stomped in.

"Let's go, sleepyheads!" he shouted. "We have to leave in the next fifteen minutes if we want to make it in time!"

Zuko got his feet and Nava day up, running her eyes. When she opened them again, Sokka was gone and Zuko was stuffing things into a bag. She got up and went behind him, putting her arms around his middle and resting her forehead between his shoulder blades.

"I know you don't want to get up, but the comet is in two days. We have some preparing to do," he said, patting her hands.

"I know... things are just moving really fast. I want to take a moment and enjoy it with you."

Zuko turned in her arms and circled his arms around her waist.

"I never thought I deserved happiness, especially after all i've done to you and my Uncle," he said. "But you helped me realize that I'm worthy of it."

"You deserve everything in the world, Prince Zuko. When all this is over and you're Fire Lord, and I have my tattoos, let's go on a vacation somewhere. We've earned it."

"That's sounds like a great idea."

They went to kiss each other again, but Sokka reappeared in the doorway.

"Have you guys seen Aang? We can't find him anywhere."

"I haven't seen him since last night. He was meditating on one of the balconies," Nava said, releasing Zuko and stepping away from him.

"We found some footprints on the beach leading to the water, but that's the only clue. Katara suggested we all split up to look for him. Toph has called dibs on going with Zuko and Katara is going with Toph."

"Why does Toph want to go with me?" Zuko asked.

"She said it's her turn for a life-changing field trip."

"Well I guess you're stuck with me, Sokka," Nava said with a shrug. She took a ponytail from her wrist and pulled her hair back. "Let's check the trees around here, maybe he went for a late-night hike."

An hour and no found Avatars later, they gang regrouped back at the house, looking sullen.

"I'm assuming you didn't find Aang either," Sokka said.

"No, it's like he just... disappeared." Zuko said.

"Wait... has anyone noticed Momo is missing too?" Toph piped up.

"Oh no," Sokka gasped. "I knew it was only a matter of time: Appa ate Momo!" he ran over to the bison and lifted his lip, trying to peer into his mouth. "Momo, hang in there, I'm coming for you, buddy!"

"Sokka, Appa didn't eat Momo," Katara said calmly. "He's probably with Aang."

"That's just what Appa wants you to think!" Sokka said hysterically. He opened Appa's mouth enough to climb inside, his legs flailing wildly.

"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka," Zuko said. "We have a real problem here: Aang is nowhere to be found and the comet is two days away."

"What do you think we should do?" Katara asked. "You're kind of an expert on tracking down Aang."

"Yeah! If anyone's got a chance at finding him it's you!" Toph said brightly.

"Alright, give me some time to come up with some ideas," Zuko said, not sure if he should take Toph's comment as a compliment or not.

While Zuko was brainstorming, Nava finished packing their things and loaded them onto Appa. By the late afternoon, Zuko had come up with an idea and they boarded the bison, leaving Ember Island behind them.

The flew east for some time. Eventually Sokka spoke up.

"You know, I don't want to tell you how to do your job or anything, but why are we going to the Earth Kingdom? Aang's not there."

"Aang isn't, but someone who can help find him is," was all Zuko said.

Not even Nava could figure out who he was referring to.

Zuko took them all to a three-storey building in the clearing of a forested area. Loud noises came from the building, and a band could faintly be heard over the yelling of men.

"And the reason you brought us to a seedy bar in the middle of the Earth Kingdom is?" Katara asked warily as they waded through a crowd of people.

Zuko came to a stop, pointing to a woman sitting at a table, arm-wrestling with a man in white robes and a read bandana tied across his forehead.

"June," the prince said.

"Oh yeah," Sokka said, nodding. "That weird bounty hunter with the giant mole."

"Mole? Her skin is flawless," Suki said.

"No, she has this giant mole creature that she rides around on."

"Her shirshu," Zuko confirmed. "It's the only thing that can track Aang's scent anywhere in the world. It's the one shot we have at finding him."

"Wait, how come I never met her?" Nava cut in. "Was I sick that day?"

"Yeah, you were. It was right after we got caught in that huge storm, remember? You caught the flu and couldn't get out of bed for days."

"Oh, her!" Sokka exclaimed. "She helped you attack us!"

"Yep. Back in the good ol' days."

Zuko approached June, who was leisurely sipping a cup of tea while effortlessly beating the men that tried to arm-wrestle her.

"Oh, it's Prince Pouty. Long time no see," she said upon noticing him. "Where's your creepy grandpa?"

"He's my uncle. And he's not here," Zuko said.

"Unfortunate. What do you want?"

"I need your help to find the Avatar."

"Hm... that doesn't sound like much fun."

Zuko got very close to her face.

"Does the end of the world sound like more fun!?" he shouted.

June blinked a few times before pushing him away from her.

"Fine. Let's go outside," she grumbled, standing up forcefully and leading the way to the door.

Once they were outside, June called for her shirshu. It came running from around the side of the building, bounding up to its master.

"Alright, whose got something with the Avatar's scent on it?" she said, giving the shirshu a loving pat on the head.

Katara climbed onto Appa and held up Aang's staff.

"I have his staff," she said.

June beckoned for her to bring it and then held it in front of her shirshu's nose. It sniffed the staff before running around the clearing, head moving in all directions, and then came to a stop in front of June. It laid down and put its paws over its snout.

"What does that mean?" Zuko asked.

"It means your friend's gone," June said simply.

"Yeah, that's why we're trying to find him," Toph said impatiently.

"No, I mean he's gone, gone. Like he doesn't exist."

"What do you mean Aang doesn't exist?" Sokka chimed in. "Do you mean he's, you know, dead?"

"Nope, we'd be able to find him if he were dead," June mounted her animal and shrugged. "I don't know what else to tell you. Good luck with the end of the world."

"Wait, wait," Zuko said before she could take off. "There's only one other person in the world who can help us face the Fire Lord. I'll be right back with a smell sample."

He sifted through some bags before returning with a smelly wooden sandal. Katara and Suki pinched their noses as he held it up for the shirshu to smell.

"You saved your uncle's sweaty sandal?" Katara asked in disbelief.

"I think it's kind of sweet," Toph said.

"I can't believe you made a conscious decision to bring it after leaving home," Nava said, waving her hand in front of her face to try and dissipate the smell.

June pulled back on the mole's reins as it became restless.

"Nyla's caught his scent," she said. "Let's go."

Everyone got on Appa and took off after June and Nyla. They flew through the night and most of the next day, to the destroyed outer walls of Ba Sing Se. Nyla pawed at some rubble and whined.

"Your uncle shouldn't be too far from here," Kune said, yanking on the reins to turn around. "Good luck, I hope you find him."

She left without another word.

"It's been a long day," Zuko said. "Let's set up camp and start looking again tomorrow."

They didn't bother setting up any tents or even a fire. Katara slept on one side of Appa, Nava and Zuko curled up with each other on the other side, Sokka and Suki slept on his tail, and Toph slept on the ground in her earth tent.

Nava was awoken sometime during the night by the ground rumbling. At first, she thought it was Appa's stomach, but hearing unfamiliar voices made her shoot into a sitting position. Beside her, Zuko let out a groan and sat up as well. They climbed over Appa and slid down the other side, where everyone else was already alert.

"Well, look who's here," said an old man with bulging eyes and a hunchback. He let out a snort and a cackle.

Katara and Sokka turned to each other and grinned.

"What is going on?" Toph asked. "We're surrounded by old people."

"Not just any old people," Katara said, approaching a man with long, white hair. "These are great masters and friends of ours. Hello, Pakku."

She bowed slightly.

"It is respectful to bow to an old master," Pakku said, returning the gesture. "But how about a hug for your new grandfather?"

Katara's face broke into a wide smile as she hugged him.

"That's so exciting!" she exclaimed. "You and Gran Gran must be so happy to have found each other again."

"Welcome to the family, Gramp Gramp!" Sokka cried, throwing his arms around Pakku's neck.

"You can still call me Pakku," the older man said flatly, pushing Sokka off him.

"How about Grand Pakku?"

"No."

"This is Bumi, a friend from Aang's childhood," Katara said, pointing to the man with the hunchback. "And this was Aang's first firebending teacher," she nodded to a man with bushy greying hair.

"Jeong Jeong," the man said and Zuko bowed to him.

Sokka bowed to the remaining man – he looked significantly younger than the rest, but the greying sides of his hair gave his age away.

"Piandao," the boy said.

"It's good to see you, Sokka," Piandao said.

"So how do you all know each other?" Suki asked.

"All old people know each other; don't you know that?" Bumi said with a snort of laughter.

"We're all par of the same ancient secret society. A group that transcends the division of the four nations," Piandao added.

Zuko visibly perked up.

"The Order of the White Lotus," he said with a smile.

"The White Lotus has always been about philosophy, beauty, and truth. About a month ago, a call went out that we were needed for something important," Jeong Jeong said.

"The call came from a Grand Lotus," Piandao added, turning to Zuko. "Your uncle, Iroh of the Fire Nation."

"That's who we're looking for," Toph said.

"Then we will take you to him," Piandao gestured for them all to follow.

"Wait!" Bumi said suddenly. "There's someone missing. Someone very important... where's Momo?"

"He's gone, and so is Aang." Sokka said.

"Well, I'm sure if they're together we have nothing to worry about," Bumi said nonchalantly. "Let's go."

It was a twenty-minute walk to get to the White Lotus's camp. As they drew closer to the settlement, Zuko took Nava's hand and gave her a nervous smile.

"Welcome to old people camp," Bumi announced loudly. "You guys can set up your tents and stuff over there," he pointed to a clearing slightly away from the cluster of tents.

"Where... where is he?" Zuko asked timidly.

"Your uncle is in there, Prince Zuko," Piandao said, nodding over to a large sheltered tent near the end of the campsite.

Not releasing Nava's hand, Zuko led her towards Iroh's tent. He stopped in front of the door and hesitated.

"Everything okay?" she said.

"No. He hates me, I know it," he said. He sat on the ground and she crouched beside him. "All he did was love and support me and I thanked him with a knife in his back. How can I even face him?"

Nava put an arm around his shoulders and rested her head on his.

"When we were in prison, in the few conversations that we had, he would always talk about how much hope he had that you would make the right decision," she said. "And if you're as sorry as you say you are, then he'll forgive you."

Zuko was silent as he took in her words. Eventually he nodded and stood up. She got up with him and hugged him tightly.

"You'll be alright," she said. "I swear it."

She got up onto her tip-toes and kissed his cheek. Zuko smiled warmly before taking a deep breath and pushed the tent's curtains open, stepping inside.

Nava left him and went to set up their tent, then she settled down inside it, curling up in the sleeping bag and allowed herself to fall asleep.


	27. Chapter 27

When Zuko entered his and Nava's tent following the reunion with his uncle, he was overcome with love and affection for her upon seeing her sleeping form. She was on her stomach, head buried under her pillow, and one arm extended out beside her, like she was reaching for something.

He knelt beside her and gently pulled the pillow from over her head. She stirred and opened her eyes, squinting up at him. A sleepy smile crossed her features.

"Hey," she said. "How did it go?"

Nudging her over, Zuko climbed into the bag beside her and pulled her towards him.

"It went fine," he said. He brought a hand up and idly stroked her cheek. He leant down and lightly kissed the scar tissue under her bad eye. "You're so beautiful," he whispered. "I'm so glad you stayed with me, even when I was at my lowest. You're one of the best things that's ever happened to me."

Nava smiled at that, so wide that the dimples above her chin appeared.

"Because of you, I got to become something more than just a thief," she said. She stretched up to kiss him deeply, threading her fingers through his hair. His hands trailed down her back, coming to a stop on her tailbone, where he fiddled with the hem of her shirt. Carefully, his hand snaked under her shirt and went along her skin, ghosting over the scar from Zhao, eventually pulling the top over her head and tossing it aside.

Zuko moved so he was over top of her, holding himself up on his forearms. He stared down at her, her flushed face, smiling eyes, and her red lips that were slightly parted.

"I'm so in love with you," he breathed, leaning in to kiss her again.

A laugh bubbled up from her chest.

"I'm so in love with you too, Zuko," she said fondly. "But we should probably go catch up with everyone else, before they start suspecting any shenanigans."

Zuko buried his face in the crook of her neck and sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said against her skin. Then he leaned back and stole another kiss. "Okay, let's go."

He left her, so she could freshen up and then joined everyone else outside of Iroh's tent for breakfast.

The ex-general greeted Nava with a hug when she approached.

"It is so good to see you again, Nava," he said, and then examined her eye with a frown. "I am sorry you got caught in the middle of our family issues and were hurt as a result."

"It's okay, Iroh," Nava said earnestly. "It's a cool story to tell. What have I missed?"

"We were just about to discuss who will be going where once the comet comes. I will be staying here to take back Ba Sing Se."

"Is that why you gathered the members of the White Lotus?" Suki asked.

"Precisely," Iroh turned to Zuko. "You must return to the Fire Nation so that when the Fire Lord falls, you can claim the throne and restore peace and order. But Azula will be there, waiting for you."

"I can handle Azula," Zuko said.

"Not alone. You'll need help."

"You're right. Katara, will you come with me to put my sister in her place?"

Katara smiled at that.

"It would be my pleasure."

"And Nava," Zuko went on. "Will you come as well?"

Nava nodded. "Anything to see the moment Azula realizes she's been beat."

"What about us?" Sokka interrupted. "What's our destiny today?"

"What do you think it is?" Iroh said.

"I... I think that even though we don't know where Aang is, we need to do everything we can to stop the airship fleet."

"And that means when Aang finally does face the Fire Lord, we'll be right there if he needs us," Toph added, smacking her fists together.

After getting the necessary supplies and saying their goodbyes to Sokka, Toph, and Suki, Zuko, Nava, and Katara boarded Appa's saddle, with the prince at the reins.

"So, if I'm going to become Fire Lord after this is over, what are you going to do, Uncle?" Zuko said.

Iroh flipped a coin and caught it in mid-air, grinning.

"After I re-conquer Ba Sing Se, I am going to re-conquer my tea shop and play Pai Sho every day."

The teenagers smiled before Zuko flicked Appa's reins.

"Goodbye, General Iroh," Katara said with a wave.

"Goodbye everyone," Iroh said. "Today, destiny is our friend. I know it."

With that, everyone went their separate ways.

They flew through the day and as they came to the Fire Nation's coast, something appeared in the sky.

"The comet," Nava breathed.

The sky glowed a deep red as the comet came over the horizon. Its tail was a blinding white and the comet itself was bright orange.

"Don't worry, Zuko. We can take Azula," Katara said.

His mouth was a thin line.

"I'm not worried about her," he said. "I'm worried about Aang. What f he doesn't have the guts to take out my father? What if he loses?"

"Aang won't lose," Katara said firmly. "He'll come back. He has to."

They didn't say anything else for the remainder of the ride. Nava busied herself by stringing and re-stringing her bow, her hands shaking so much that she could barely hold it.

"There's the palace," Katara's voice broke her from her thoughts.

"Alright," Zuko said, straightening up in his seat. "Is everyone ready?"

"Ready," Katara said.

"Yeah. Let's kick some ass," Nava said, shouldering her bow and cracking her knuckles.

Zuko took them to a spacious plaza and landed near the back wall. Azula was knelt on a platform closer to the palace, in front of a regal man dressed head-to-toe in red.

"Sorry, but you're not becoming Fire Lord today," Zuko announced, hopping down from Appa. "I am."

Azula let out a humourless laugh.

"You're hilarious," she said.

Katara and Nava jumped down beside him. The man went to put the crown in Azula's hair, but she stopped him and got to her feet. Her cloak fell as she did.

"You want to be Fire Lord so bad? Fine. Let's settle this, you and me. The showdown that was always meant to be: Agni Kai!"

"You're on," Zuko said.

"Oh, and you brought your little Yuyan," Azula went on, tilting her head to the side as she spoke. "You know, your father, General Shinu, he planned against a coup against my father recently. Tried to undermine our efforts in Ba Sing Se by botching our plans to wipe them all out. When the Fire Lord – or should I say, Phoenix King, found out, he had him arrested and tortured in the lower levels of the palace... I'm sure if you hurry, you can find him before he's beaten to death."

Nava felt a violent rage boil in her veins. She lunged forward with a growl, but Katara stopped her.

"She's just baiting you," she told Nava. "She's trying to split us up."

Nava looked at Katara with tears in her eyes.

"But what if she's not? What if he's in there? I have to go find him... if he dies because I didn't go, I'd never be able to live with myself. I have to go, Katara. I have to."

"Time is running out, little Yuyan!" Azula called shrilly.

"Go, Nava," Zuko said. "We'll be okay out here. If things get bad, get out of here as fast as you can and don't come back."

"Zuko..."

"Go!" he grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. "I love you. Go."

Nava exchanged a meaningful look with him and nodded. She hugged Katara briefly and took off towards the palace.

The men in red were watching from inside when she burst through the doors. They made no move to stop her as she grabbed on of them by the lapels and slammed him against the wall. She pressed her arm over his windpipe.

"Where is he," she spat. "General Shinu. Where is he?"

"Down – down that hallway. The last door on the left, down the stairs all the way, and then the first door on the right."

"If you're lying..."

"I'm not. He's in there, I swear."

She let him go and walked backwards to the hallway. Once she turned the corner and was out of their line of sight, Nava spun on her heel and ran as fast as she could down the corridor.

Nava took the stairs two at a time and by the time she reached the bottom, she could tell she was several floors underground. The first door was unlocked, and she opened it wide enough to poke her head in.

It was spacious for a dungeon cell, with a large metal table and numerous wooden chairs surrounding it. Heavy dark red drapes lined the walls and a fair-sized chandelier hung in the middle of the ceiling. Shinu was at the head of the table, his head bowed. He was still breathing, Nava noticed, but blood was running down the side of his face.

Forgetting herself, she burst into the room and ran to his side.

"Shinu," she said shakily, resting a hand on his arm. "Come on, we're going to get you out of here."

He let out a weak groan and muttered something unintelligible.

"What?" Nava asked, leaning in closer.

"Still... here..." Shinu said breathily.

"Where?"

"Right here."

Nava straightened up and turned to the source of the noise. A single Yuyan agent stood in the doorway. She recognized him as Ryu, a man five years her senior. The first mission he led as a captain was the one Nava went 'missing' on.

She grabbed her bow and nocked an arrow. He mirrored her. Neither of them fired.

"So, you're back," he stated.

"I was never gone."

"My mission report would say otherwise. I see your wrongdoings have caught up with you," he gestured to her eye.

"My past may have caught up with me, but you're about to catch these hands."

Ryu rose his bow and pulled the string back. Nava dove out of the way as he fired the arrow. It hit one of the curtains behind her.

"Lao, get out of the way!" Nava cried as she crawled on the floor around the table.

By now, Shinu was half-conscious. With every breath he made, his body cried in protest. It hurt to even blink. Gritting his teeth, he was able to push his chair back and fall to his knees on the stone floor, eventually making it under the table.

Nava got to her feet and fired an arrow at Ryu, who moved his head minutely to the side to avoid it. As he was reloading his bow, she vaulted over the table and jumped at him, tackling him to the ground and knocking his bow out of his hands. Ryu threw her off him and she hit the wall with a thud, landing in a heap on the ground.

He crawled on his stomach to his weapon and then slowly got to his feet. He advanced on her as she was getting up. He kicked her hard in the stomach and she fell again, curling in on herself. He grabbed her by the front of the shirt and lifted her up, pressing her against the wall.

"A traitor always gets what's coming for them," he said.

With his free hand, Ryu reached for an arrow and pressed the head of it against her cheek, just hard enough to draw blood.

Nava hissed and brought her foot up, kicking him as hard as she could in the abdomen. He stumbled backwards and fell against the table, sputtering. She strode towards him and snatched his bow from his body, snapping the string. She tossed it aside and aimed a punch for his nose, but he ducked out of the way and she punched the table instead.

Crying out, Nava held her hand close to her body and punched at him again. Ryu tried to dodge, but a hand jutted out from under the table and wrapped around his ankle. Shinu, apparently well enough to fight, yanked Ryu's foot out from under him and he fell to the floor. He pulled Nava down with him, moving quick enough to straddle her waist and strike her repeatedly.

Shinu's mind was sent into overdrive as he forced himself out from under the table and towards his daughter. He pulled Ryu off her by his hair and threw him to the side.

Nava scrambled to her feet, wiping at the blood dripping from her nose with the back of her hand and smearing it across her cheek. Shinu steadied himself on one of the chairs, pulling it out from the table and collapsing into it. Nava didn't have time to check on him before she saw Ryu getting to his feet in her peripheral.

They squared off against each other, fists risen in defence. Ryu moved first, and Nava stepped out of the way. She jabbed her hand at him and he blocked it, punching at her in retaliation.

Nava realized, as she took the hit to the shoulder, that he moved just like Zuko did. He was top-heavy and light on his feet. She got down low to the ground and planted her feet. Ryu lunged towards her and she grabbed him around the waist, pushing him backwards until they hit the wall. Nava then hoisted him up and flipped him over her shoulder, throwing him onto his back.

Ryu gasped for breath as Nava kicked him roughly in the stomach, then, kneeling, punched him hard in the jaw, knocking him unconscious.

She sat back on her heels and put her face in her hands. Every single bone in her body was aching, her nose was still bleeding, and her lip had split. Nava let out a relieved sob. She did not expect to get out with so few injuries.

After pulling herself together, she staggered over to Shinu, who was hardly able to keep his eyes open.

"Come on, Lao," Nava said, putting his arm around her shoulder and her arm around his waist. "We're going to get out of here, you'll be alright, I swear it."

She half-led half-dragged him back up the stairs and down the hallway. The entire palace seemed eerily quiet. Nava could hear faint crying as they approached the plaza, and upon getting outside, she saw Azula chained up to a grate, sobbing hysterically and blowing fire out of her mouth.

Katara noticed Nava first, meeting her halfway to help her with Shinu. They gently laid him on the concrete and Katara covered her hands with water, hovering them over his body.

Zuko limped towards them, wiping some dry blood from Nava's cheek.

"What happened to you?" Nava choked out, noticing the wound on his chest.

"Azula hit me with lightning, but I'll be okay," Zuko said. "Katara saved my life."

"Is... is it over? Is the fighting done?" Nava whispered, hugging her torso.

"I think so," Zuko said, putting an arm around her and hugging her to his side. "But we'll find out for sure when we hear from Sokka and them."

Katara looked up at the two of them from beside Shinu.

"I've done all I can, but he'll need a doctor. He's got some broken ribs, a broken wrist, and a fractured ankle," she said.

Nava broke free from Zuko and threw her arms around Katara, unable to hold back her tears.

"Thank you," she cried. "Thank you for saving him, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here."

Katara hugged her back just as tight.

"Everything's okay now, Nava, don't worry. He's going to be fine."

As they got to their feet and loaded Shinu onto Appa, Sozin's Comet disappeared over the horizon and a star-filled sky took its place.

Nava put Shinu's head in her lap and gently cleaned the dried blood from his face.


	28. Chapter 28

After receiving word that Aang had defeated Ozai by taken away his bending, Nava retired to the infirmary and spent the night at Shinu's bedside. She was lucky to get away with some bruises and a few scratches, but Shinu wasn't as lucky and was covered in bandages and splints.

Sometime after midnight, every single one of Nava's emotions came to a tipping point. She clutched Shinu's uninjured hand, forehead resting on his arm as she started to cry.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you, Lao," she sobbed. "I'm sorry my actions caused you to be tortured. I should have escaped with Iroh and brought you along, but I didn't – I didn't think any of this would happen. I'm sorry I was selfish. You're the closest thing I have to a real family and I don't want you to go. Dad, please don't go."

The words felt weird coming from her mouth, but she forgot how much she missed calling him that. Dad.

Nava sat with him all night, holding his hand.

A nurse woke her the next morning.

"Excuse me, miss, but there is someone here to prepare you for Prince Zuko's coronation," she said timidly.

Nava looked to the doorway where Suki was waiting.

"Thank you," she told the nurse. She pat Shinu's hand. "I'll be back later, okay, dad?"

She and Suki exchanged a hug when they left the infirmary.

"It's so good to see you're okay," Suki said. "Everyone else is okay too, Sokka broke his leg during the fight but we're none the worse for wear."

"That's great. Who sent you to come get me?"

"One of Azula's old friends, Ty Lee. She and some of my warriors bonded while they were in prison together, and we've decided to let her join us. She said that she wanted to see you and that she can help you get ready for Zuko's coronation."

They came up to an oak door and Suki pushed it open. Nava was immediately attacked in a bearhug by a blur of pink.

"Oh, Nava, it's great to see you! I missed you so much!" Ty Lee exclaimed.

"H-hi Ty Lee," Nava said, patting her back. "It's great to see you, too."

The girl released her and took her by the hand, pulling her inside the room. It was a large dressing room. A group of girls were lounging around, some in civilian clothing, others in Kyoshi Warrior garb. Ty Lee pushed Nava into a spacious bathroom.

"Wash up and then come out and we'll get you dressed! You have to look your best for Zuko!" Ty Lee announced and closed the door with a flourish.

Nava took a moment to absorb what had just happened.

There was already a bath drawn, topped off with bubbles and smelly soaps that made Nava's nose hurt.

She washed herself quickly, skimming over the bruises along her ribcage from where Ryu had kicked her. Then she allowed herself a few minutes of tranquility, letting the warm water seep into her being and wash away the stresses of the past few months.

Then Nava got out, dried herself off, and wrapped herself in a robe that was supposedly left out for her. Ty Lee was on her in a second when she exited the bathroom, chattering excitedly about something as she led Nava over to a vanity and took a brush to her hair.

Her hair was tied into a neat bun with her bangs pinned back out of her eyes. She was given a set of clothes, a dark red, sleeveless shirt with a high neck, black trousers, and grey shoes, and Suki was able to paint Yuyan markings onto her face.

Nava looked at herself in one of the mirrors and couldn't help but smile. She looked like a fully-fledged Yuyan agent. All she needed was a bow, but she was okay without one until she was able to make her own.

Eventually she excused herself and went to find Zuko.

She found him in his dressing room, knocking lightly on the door.

"Come in," came his reply.

Nava pushed the door open and stepped in, leaning on it to close it behind her.

"Nava," Zuko breathed, looking her up and down.

She strode across the room and he held his arms out to hug her. Then he held her face in his hands, examining her makeup.

"Suki did it for me," she said. I'm getting the real tattoos done in a few months once I've finished my training. I'm going to be leaving right after your coronation."

Zuko's smile vanished. "What? You're leaving?"

"I still have a lot to do before I can consider myself your bodyguard, Zuko. I'm not ready yet."

"But... do you have to go alone? Can't I come with you?"

"Trust me, if you didn't have a country to run, I wouldn't leave without you, but we all have our responsibilities. I'll only be gone for a while, six months at the most."

Zuko closed his eyes and sighed, pressing his forehead against Nava's.

"Okay," he said finally. "But if you're gone longer than six months, I'm going to come get you and bring you home myself"

Nava laughed at that, a sweet, melodic, laugh. "Let's hope it won't come to that."

She looked up at him and leaned upwards to press a light kiss to his lips.

"Come on, Prince Zuko, we should get you into your robes," she said.

///

Nava stood near the back of the coronation platform, hands clasped in front of her and a bow across her back; a servant had brought her one just before they went outside.

"Today, this war is finally over," Zuko said to the crowd of Swamp Benders, Water Tribe members, earthbenders, and Fire Nation citizens. "I promised my uncle that I would restore the honour of the Fire Nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging: a hundred years of fighting has left the world divided and scarred... but with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and to begin a new era of love and peace."

Zuko got onto his knees and one of the men in red, a Fire Sage, Nava learned, held the Fire Lord's hairpiece above his head.

"All hail, Fire Lord Zuko!" he announced, lowering the crown onto Zuko's topknot and securing it with a pin.

Zuko walked towards the edge of the platform and gestured for Aang to join him.

They stood side-by-side, looking out across the crowd that was applauding them.

///

The next morning, Nava packed herself a bag and left with Zuko to a port where she would board a boat that would take her to the Earth Kingdom.

"Are you sure you have to go?" he asked her, not letting go of her hand.

"I'm sure," she said. "Six months. Then I'll be back. I swear it."

He kissed her sweetly then hugged her to his chest.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too, Zuko."

They released each other and Zuko watched as she boarded the boat and waved at him from the bow.

Once they were at sea, Nava sat at the railing with her feet dangling over the edge. She thought of the weeks spent at sea with Iroh and Zuko, thought of how far they all had come, of how far she had come. She was no longer a street rat with a death wish, but instead a bodyguard of the new Fire Lord and she was becoming the person she looked up to as a child.

Nava pressed her fingers over her gnarled eye and took a deep breath.

Things were going to be all right.


	29. Epilogue

_Five months later_

Fire Lord Zuko sat at his desk, pouring over some documents brought in from Ba Sing Se. He was halfway through a letter from the head of the Dai Li when a soft knock resounded from his door.

"Come in," he called, not bothering to look up.

The door opened slowly, and someone stepped in, their footsteps barely audible. Zuko glanced up and felt his heart skip a beat.

Nava stood in the threshold, hands clasped in front of her and a nervous smile on her face. A red tattoo stood out against her brown skin.

"Nava!" Zuko exclaimed, throwing the letter down and circling his desk.

He held his arms out as she hurried across the room and all but jumped into his embrace. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the familiar scent of the outdoors and faint campfire smoke. He wanted to hold her forever.

"I missed you so much," Nava said into his shoulder.

Zuko didn't answer, he just held her tighter against him.

Eventually they released each other and held the other at arm's length.

He nodded at her tattoo.

"I see you've become a fully-recognized Yuyan agent," he said.

"That I have. It is my honour to return as your royal bodyguard, Fire Lord Zuko. I trust the person I left in my stead did okay?"

"Ty Lee has definitely grown from the pawn Azula trained her to be. You chose well."

Nava smiled and Zuko brought his left hand up to cup her cheek. His thumb ran over her cheekbone, over the wound from ages ago that had healed, but still looked painful to look at.

Then he kissed her, slow and deep, like he had been wanting for months. She leant into his touch and they broke apart a few seconds later.

"Welcome home," Zuko breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the end, friends. thank you for commenting, for leaving kudos, and just generally being fantastic people. i'm so glad we were able to experience this together.
> 
> this isn't the end of my adventure with the Avatar universe, i've had a Legend of Korra fic idea swimming around in my head for a while and i might write that soon, so keep on the lookout for it.
> 
> i'll be back soon, i swear it.


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